d. 303
Clergy of the church at Thessalonica — Agathopodes an aged deacon and Theodulus a young reader — who confessed Christ during the persecution under Diocletian and Maximian and were drowned in the sea for refusing to deny their faith.
The Holy Martyrs Agathopodes the Deacon and Theodulus the Reader at Thessalonica
Agathopodes and Theodulus were members of the clergy of the church at Thessalonica who were martyred during the persecution of Christians under the emperors Diocletian and Maximian. Agathopodes served as a deacon and was advanced in years, while Theodulus was a young reader. The Orthodox Church commemorates the two together on April 5 as a single paired commemoration.
According to their account, when Diocletian issued his edict of persecution in 303 and many Christians went into hiding, Agathopodes and Theodulus continued openly to confess Christ. They were brought before Faustinus, the governor of Thessalonica, who tried unsuccessfully to persuade them to renounce their faith and offer pagan sacrifice. Remaining steadfast, both were condemned to be drowned in the sea, and they died in the year 303.
As courageous soldiers of Christ,
you scattered the enemy principalities, O blessed martyrs.
Rejoicing in one spirit, you proclaimed together:
“Christ is the crown of athletes.”
Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).
Your holy martyrs Agathopodes and Theodulus, and those with them, 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!
Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).
The accounts distinguish the two figures by age and office: Agathopodes was an aged deacon, while Theodulus was a young reader. Some accounts relate that before his martyrdom Theodulus received a vision in which a radiant figure placed in his hand a ring bearing the image of the Cross, which he understood as a sign of his coming death.
After their refusal to recant, the two were bound and drowned in the sea at Thessalonica. Their bodies were subsequently washed ashore and given honorable burial by local Christians.
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