Menaion of the Orthodox Church

The 21st Day of the Month of February

Commemoration of Our Venerable Father Timothy of Symbola in Bithynia

Commemoration of Our Father among the Saints Eustace, Archbishop of Antioch

At Vespers

On “Lord, I have cried…,” 6 stichera: 3 stichera for the venerable one, in Tone VIII, Special Melody: “O most glorious wonder…”

O divinely wise father Timothy, by great abstinence and frequent prayer thou didst utterly allay the movements of the passions; and receiving the grace of dispassion, thou wast shown to be a receptacle of the divine Spirit. Wherefore, as thou livest even after death, O divinely blessed one, thou dost ever drive away evil spirits.

O divinely wise father Timothy, thou wast a true emulator of Abraham, everywhere healing those who have recourse unto thee. In thy pangs thou didst acquire the strength of Job; and, possessing the meekness of David, thou didst live on earth a life equal to that of the angels, and hast received thine ultimate desire, praying for us all.

O divinely wise father Timothy, a model of chastity, an example of abstinence, an image of piety, and a wellspring of compunction, an unshakable foundation of Orthodoxy, an ever-flowing stream of healings, a never-setting sun, a child of divine grace, and the adornment of monastics wast thou shown to be, O all-honored one.

And 3 stichera for the holy hierarch, in the same Tone, Special Melody: “What shall we call you…”

Possessed of a heavenly life, thou wast truly ordained by God to serve as a priest, and with a pure mind thou didst offer up the services unto Him. Misfortunes and suffering didst thou endure, O blessed one, for the sake of the divine preaching and the steadfast truth which thou didst confirm by thy words, manifestly denouncing the mindless ones.

With the word of thy sacred discourse thou didst manifestly set afire the tinder of the blasphemy of the ungodly Arius, who did not comprehend that the Father and the Son are called equal in honor by nature, O most sacred Eustace; and thou didst enlighten the hearts of the faithful and didst keep with truth those who with faith celebrate thy memory.

Wielding the staff of thy words, O most sacred shepherd, therewith thou didst preserve the rational flock of God unharmed by all manner of wolves. Wherefore, the good Shepherd hath led thee into the fold of heaven, where the souls of the elect and righteous fathers are, O God-bearing and all-blessed Eustace.

Glory…, Now and ever…, Theotokion, in the same tone and melody

To whom hast thou likened thyself, O wretched soul, who in no wise risest to repentance, and fearest not the fire which awaiteth the evil? Arise, and call upon her who alone is quick to help, and cry aloud: O Virgin Mother, entreat thy Son and our God to deliver me from the snare of the deceiver!

Or this Stavrotheotokion, in the same melody

The ewe-lamb, when she beheld the Lamb stretched out of His own will upon the tree of the Cross, cried out, maternally in pain, with lamentation: “What is this strange sight, O my Son? How is it that Thou diest, O Long-suffering One, Who as Lord grantest life unto all, bestowing resurrection upon mortals? I glorify Thy great condescension, O my God!”

Troparion, in Tone IV

O God of our fathers, Who ever dealest with us according to Thy gentleness, withdraw not Thy mercy from us, but by their entreaties govern our life in peace.

At Matins

Ode I

Canon of the Venerable One, in Tone VIII

Irmos: O all ye people, chanting a hymn of victory let us sing unto the Lord, Who overwhelmed Pharaoh in the Red Sea, for He hath been glorified

Ever do we praise thee, O blessed father Timothy, thou noetic star shining forth in the heights of abstinence, illumining the hearts of the faithful.

Having the upright eye of thy mind directed towards God, thou didst shake off the sleep of despondency, and wast a temple of the divine Spirit and a place of sanctification, O father Timothy.

Protected against the wiles of the wicked one by thy humility, O father, thou didst pass over unharmed and didst ascend unto God; and thou delightest continually in His glory, O blessed Timothy.

Theotokion: With hymns let us honor the Theotokos, the virginal Maiden who, in manner past recounting, without seed conceived in her womb God, the Creator of all, and truly gave birth unto Him in the flesh.

Canon of the Holy Hierarch, in Tone VII

Irmos: In Egypt, Moses led Israel forth with the help of God. To Him alone let us sing, for He hath been glorified!

With hymns let us praise the great Eustace, the summit of the fathers, who was invested with the grace of discourse.

Manifest as a zealot of the Faith, O venerable one, by thy struggle thou didst preserve the Church of Christ free of heresy.

As the mouth of the Word, thou didst pour forth an abyss of doctrine, O venerable one, wherein thou didst drown the impiety of Arius.

Theotokion: As thou gavest birth in the flesh unto the Word, the Origin of life, at the word of the archangel, beseech Him unceasingly, that our souls be saved.

Ode III

Canon of the Venerable One

Irmos: O Savior, Thou art my confirmation, my refuge and power! Make firm my wavering heart in the fear of Thee, for there is none as holy as Thee, our God.

In having compassion upon all in thine almsgiving, thou wast another Abraham, receiving those who came to thee from all places, O Timothy, thereby pleasing the God of all.

Thou didst mortify thy members on earth, as the Apostle Paul instructeth, O father; and thou wast shown to be a partaker of the life of heaven, wherein do thou ever remember those who honor thee.

The sun of the orient of thy works was never-setting, O father, ever illumining the ends of the earth with the rays of thy struggles, and driving away the darkness of the demons.

Theotokion: O holy Virgin, Mother of the King of kings, burst the bonds of my transgressions, and guide me to the paths of repentance by thy prayers.

Canon of the Holy Hierarch

Irmos: My heart hath been established in the Lord; my horn hath been exalted in my God; my mouth hath been enlarged over the enemy; and I have found gladness in Thy salvation.

Drawing the sword of truth, thou wast shown to be the chief commander of piety, stabbing the opponents of the Faith, O Eustace.

Having cultivated the Church with pangs of love, O blessed one, with the scythe of thy doctrine thou didst cut down all the tares at the root.

When thou didst truly preside with glory at the Council as senior hierarch, O divinely blessed one, with the stones of thy words thou didst wound Arius, who is truly the author of falsehood.

Theotokion: Thou wast born in manner past recounting, and hast appeared as was well-pleasing unto Thee, O our Savior; and Thou hast renewed the world, O Lord.

Sessional hymn of the venerable one, in Tone VIII, Special Melody: “Of the Wisdom…”

Having studied the Word, Who for our sake was born of the Virgin without corruption, thou didst preach His divinity to the godless, and didst lead many to God through faith by many manifestations of sacred miracles. Wherefore, O God-bearer, celebrating thy holy memory we illumine our souls with thy grace and cry out to thee together: O God-bearing Timothy, entreat Christ God to grant remission of sins unto those who honor thy holy memory with love!

Glory…, Sessional hymn of the holy hierarch, in Tone III, Special Melody: “Awed by the beauty of thy virginity…”

Thou didst preach the Word, Who is consubstantial with the Father and the Spirit, O father Eustace, and with the cords of thy teachings didst soundly choke the mindless Arius, who blasphemed against sound doctrine. Wherefore, rejoicing, thou hast joined the choirs of the fathers, the godly teachers. With them be thou mindful of us.

Now and ever…, Theotokion

As an uncultivated vine, O Virgin, thou didst put forth a most comely Cluster, which exudeth for us the wine of salvation to gladden the souls and bodies of all. Wherefore, blessing thee ever as the cause of good things, with the angel we cry out to thee: Rejoice, thou who art full of grace!

Or this Stavrotheotokion

Thy pure Mother, who knew not wedlock, seeing Thee hanging dead upon the Cross, O Christ, said, lamenting maternally: “With what hath the iniquitous and thankless assembly of the Jews, which hath delighted in Thy many and great gifts, rewarded Thee, O my Son? I hymn Thy divine condescension!”

Ode IV

Canon of the Venerable One

Irmos: O Word, with divine vision the prophet perceived Thee Who wast to become incarnate of the Theotokos alone, the mountain overshadowed; and with fear he glorified Thy power.

Made ever steadfast by thy prayers, O all-glorious father Timothy, thou didst consider the bows and arrows of the noetic foe to be like the darts of children.

Bowing down with love before the image of Christ’s dispensation toward us, O divinely wise Timothy, thou didst endure trial of torments at the hands of those who rejected it.

Thou wast an unshakable pillar, never resting in thy ceaseless glorification of God; and thou didst remain a partaker of the beauties thereof, O Timothy.

Theotokion: Thou gavest birth on earth unto a new Child, Who was begotten incorruptibly of the Father before all ages, O pure Mother, thou restoration of Christians.

Canon of the Holy Hierarch

Irmos: Thy virtue covered the heavens, O Lord, and Thou hast filled all things with Thy praise. Glory to Thy power, O Thou Who lovest mankind!

Gathering together weapons of the victory of faith, O father, thou didst fell the impious Arius with the darts of thy words.

When the splendor of thy words issued forth like lightning, O all-wise Eustace, it utterly consumed the wicked belief of Arius.

With thy words didst thou set a fence about the Church as the vineyard of the Lord, O all-venerable one.

Theotokion: O pure Virgin, thou gavest birth in the flesh unto the unoriginate Word, Who was before thee and Who, through thee in manner past recounting, became incarnate.

Ode V

Canon of the Venerable One

Irmos: O Christ God, Bestower of light, Who didst dispel the primeval darkness of the abyss: disperse the gloom of my soul, and grant me the light of Thy commandments, O Word, that, rising early, I may glorify Thee.

Standing before the Trinity with a mind cleansed, O blessed father, and illumined with rays of splendor therefrom, do thou ever enlighten us who languish in darkness because of the passions of our souls.

Having adorned thy flesh with abstinence and thy soul with dispassion, O wise one, thou wast shown to be a favorite of the King of all, and hast manifestly received gifts of miracles from Him, O Timothy.

The barren woman who drew nigh, asking thine aid, not with deceitful mind, but with a pure heart, is shown forth through thy prayer to be fertile, cured of her barrenness; and she hymneth Christ our God.

Theotokion: He that dwelleth in the highest, having made His abode in thy womb, rendered thee more spacious than the heavens, O Mary Theotokos. In that thou art good, O Bride of God, cease not to entreat Him in behalf of us all.

Canon of the Holy Hierarch

Irmos: My soul riseth at dawn unto Thee, O God, for Thou art light, and Thy precepts are healing for Thy servants, O Thou Who lovest mankind.

Thou hast dispelled the gloom of heresies and hast shone upon all the ends of the earth the rays of thy teachings, O blessed Eustace. Twice

Hedged round about by the swords of thy teachings, we who stand for the divine faith vanquish heresies.

Theotokion: Cease not to entreat God, Who was born of thee in the flesh, O Virgin, that thy servants be delivered from all evil circumstances.

Ode VI

Canon of the Venerable One

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.

Preserving well the dignity of thy virginity throughout thy whole life, thou didst never look upon the face of a woman, utterly repelling the harm that resulteth therefrom.

Thou didst make haste unto the noetic harbor without sinking beneath the waves of the pleasures, O most blessed Timothy; for thou didst sail well under the force of the life-bearing winds, O most glorious one.

In accordance with the psalm, thou didst depart, living in the mountains and ever dwelling in the wilderness, O wise one, until thou didst enter into the heavenly city of God, O blessed Timothy.

Theotokion: He that sitteth upon the shoulders of the cherubim in His infinity, dwelt finitely within thy womb in His flesh, but not in His divinity, and issued forth from thee, saving me, O all-immaculate one.

Canon of the Holy Hierarch

Irmos: Jonah cried out from the belly of hades: Lead up my life from corruption! And we cry out to Thee: O almighty Savior, have mercy on us!

With the wind of thy divinely inspired words didst thou calm the tempest of the heretical, guiding the Church to the harbor of piety, O all-blessed one. Twice

Blameless in virtue, O venerable one, thou wast shown to be glorious in word and life, O adornment of the Church of Christ.

Theotokion: Cease not to entreat our God Who was ineffably born of thee, O Theotokos, that we who hymn thee may be delivered from misfortunes, O pure Ever-virgin.

Kontakion, in Tone IV, Special Melody: “Thou hast appeared today…”

Shining forth from the east like a most radiant star, thou hast shone the virtues of thy wonders in the hearts of the faithful, O most blessed wonderworker Timothy.

Ode VII

Canon of the Venerable One

Irmos: Blessed art Thou, O God of our fathers, Who by Thine Angel didst save the youths from the fire and transformed the thundering furnace into dew!

Having quenched the flame of the passions with the dew of thy tears, thou didst pour forth the grace of miracles, whereby thou washest away the defilement of our passions, O Timothy.

Truly hast thou received divine blessedness, and hast inherited the land of the meek, O venerable one, delighting in the joy of the elect.

As thou hast acquired boldness, O blessed one, ask thou remission of sins for those who with love celebrate the memory of thy repose.

Theotokion: All we who have been delivered from the primal curse by thine all-holy birthgiving do bless thee, O undefiled Theotokos, who alone art blessed.

Canon of the Holy Hierarch

Irmos: In the Chaldæan furnace, the children of Abraham danced with the Angel, saying: Blessed art Thou, O God of our fathers!

Having won the battle against the heretical with the sword of the Spirit, crowned by Christ thou hast received unfading honors.

Thy mouth hath been shown to be a two-edged sword against the impious, wielded by the hand of the Word, O father, for it cut them down in battle.

With the winnowing fan of thy teaching thou didst hurl away the error of Arius like chaff, gathering the grain of faith into the animate granary, O father.

Theotokion: We all honor the Theotokos, in that she gave birth unto the Savior, and we cry out with faith: Rejoice, O handmaid and Mother of Christ our God!

Ode VIII

Canon of the Venerable One

Irmos: O Thou Who coverest Thy chambers with waters and settest the sands as a bound for the sea: Thee doth the sun hymn; Thee doth the moon glorify; and unto Thee doth all creation offer a hymn forever, as to the Creator of all.

Thou wast a slayer of the passions through great abstinence and the tremendous pangs of standing in vigil, O venerable one, ever teaching the virtues to the hearts of men through thy spiritual ascents, mounting from glory to the glory of life unending and incorruption.

O venerable one, from the depths of thy soul thou didst offer thy pure prayers unto the all-pure God as a sacrifice, and from Him hast thou received the divine gift of working miracles, expelling demons and healing men’s infirmities.

A hater of evil, guileless, merciful and meek, adorned with righteousness wast thou, O father, venerable, blameless, refraining from every injustice, a pillar for monastics. Wherefore, we, the faithful, honor thee forever.

Theotokion: The Word of the Father chose thee alone, the beauty of Jacob, and made His abode in thy womb, as was His good pleasure; He Who is more comely than all men passed through thee, cleansing our benighted nature, O most pure one.

Canon of the Holy Hierarch

Irmos: The only unoriginate King of glory, whom the hosts of heaven bless, and before Whom the ranks of angels tremble, do ye hymn, O ye priests, and exalt supremely, O ye people!

Having parted the divine depths of the Scriptures with the staff of thy wisdom, O holy hierarch of Christ, thou didst lead the new Israel over to the land of Orthodoxy; but the Arians thou didst drown like the Egyptians.

Descending from the vision of heaven upon the Arian tower of Babel, thou didst confuse the tongues of the heretical, O wise Eustace, preaching the unanimous Faith forever.

With thy confession of the truth didst thou end thy life in the West, yet thou didst shine forth upon thy flock in the East, emitting the splendor of piety forever, O wise one.

Theotokion: Him Who created Adam in His image, Who came forth from his nature and saved the race of man, hymn, O ye priests, and exalt Him, O ye people, forever!

Ode IX

Canon of the Venerable One

Irmos: Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, Who hath exalted the horn of salvation for us in the house of David His child, wherein the Dayspring from on high hath visited us, and directed us to the path of peace.

A temple of sanctity, wellspring of compunction, a stream of compassion, an unfathomable abyss of love, a true favorite of the Lord, a citizen of heaven, a kinsman of angels and a torrent of miracles hast thou been shown to be, O wise one.

Knowing the Judge to delight in mercy, O father, thou didst not spurn the stranger; but, good to all, thou didst open the purse of thine alms, O venerable one, becoming a father to the orphaned, a defender of widows, the vesture of the naked and the food of the hungry.

Thou didst leave earth for the heavens, where, whilst yet walking well in the flesh, thou didst have thy life, O venerable one, praying that we who faithfully honor thy holy memory may be granted cleansing of our offenses.

Thy precious shrine ever poureth forth upon us a torrent of healings, O father, drying up the outpourings of all the passions, and watering every soul, bringing it to fruitfulness, O sacred Timothy, favorite of Christ.

Theotokion: Following thy words, all our generations ever call thee blessed, O blessed one; for thou, O all-holy and pure one, didst give birth unto Him Who is truly blessed, Who truly createth all the blessed to serve Him.

Canon of the Holy Hierarch

Irmos: O ye faithful, with hymns let us magnify the Theotokos, who became a mother in manner transcending nature, is a Virgin by nature, and is blessed among women!

Squeezing the grapes of the Scriptures in the press of thy teaching, thou hast given the faithful to drink of the wine of the truth of Christ, which maketh our hearts glad, O father.

Wielding thy tongue of theology as a two-edged sword, thou hast felled the wicked rage of Arius, which sheddeth the blood of innocent souls, O blessed one.

Spiritually celebrating the appointed and holy day of thine all-holy memory, we beseech thee: Earnestly pray, O holy hierarch, that we be saved.

Theotokion: We magnify the true and all-pure Theotokos, who in her womb conceived the uncircumscribable Word, and hath been shown to us to be the portal to life divine.