Hierarch9th century

Saint Theodore Bishop of Edessa

9th century (reposed 848)

Also known as Theodore of Edessa

An orphan of Edessa who gave away his inheritance, became a monk of the Lavra of St Sabbas, and was called to be bishop of his native city, where he labored for the Orthodox faith.

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Commemorated as

Our Father among the Saints Theodore, Bishop of Edessa

Life

Theodore of Edessa was a ninth-century hierarch of the Syrian city of Edessa whose path to the episcopate ran through the monastic life of Palestine. Orphaned as a boy, he divided his inheritance and gave away his portion, then traveled to Jerusalem and was tonsured at the Great Lavra of Saint Sabbas the Sanctified, where he spent decades as an ascetic before being summoned to lead the church of his native city.

As bishop he is remembered for instructing his flock in the Orthodox faith against the several heresies then current in the region, and for a diplomatic mission to the Muslim ruler at Baghdad on behalf of the persecuted Christians of Edessa. He returned to the Lavra of Saint Sabbas at the end of his life and reposed there in 848. His Life, traditionally ascribed to Bishop Basil of Emesa, became widely read, including in later Russia.

Kontakion & Troparion4 hymnsReadHide

KontakionTone 4

Shining like the sun with radiant life, O Hierarch Theodore,
you appeared before the Babylonian Caliph with miracles, making him a servant of Christ.
Now standing with him before the throne of the Trinity,
remember us who celebrate your glorious memory,
O wise one.

Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).

KontakionTone 4

By your good will, you graciously illumined your child,
the revered Mavi, at the Life-Giving Tree.
You went to Constantinople,
where you healed the eyes of the virtuous Empress Theodora with earth from the Lord's tomb and restored her sight.
From there, with the desired treasure again in Babylon
you strengthened the honorable Mavi for his martyrdom for Christ;
therefore we cry out to you:
“Rejoice, revered Theodore,
disciple of Christ, the Good Shepherd.”

Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).

TroparionTone 4

You were a follower of the Apostles and a pillar of divine teachings,
therefore you came to Christ, and by your prayers, O blessèd Theodore,
you illumined the Caliph Mavi with the light of Baptism.
By professing the Faith, he shed his blood and received that which he asked: a crown from Christ the King.
O Hierarch Theodore, entreat Him to save our souls.

Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).

TroparionTone 4

Against your will, you received your flock as a Hierarch,
but of your own free will you contested for the Church,
and the unbelieving Caliph Mavi converted to the Faith with the help of earth from the Lord's tomb.
Along with his physical blindness, you also healed his soul, and instructed him in piety.
At the same time you drove heretics away from the Church like wolves.
O most revered Hierarch Theodore,
pray that our souls may be saved.

Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).

Timeline5 momentsReadHide

early 9th c.Orphaned at EdessaBorn in Edessa in Syria to parents named in the tradition as Symeon and Maria, Theodore was orphaned as a boy and distributed his inheritance, giving away his own share before departing for Jerusalem.
as a young manMonk of the Lavra of Saint SabbasHe was tonsured at the Lavra of Saint Sabbas the Sanctified in Palestine, where he lived for some twenty-four years as a renowned ascetic, the synaxarion describing a period of obedience followed by years in seclusion.
836Consecrated Bishop of EdessaBy tradition he was made Bishop of Edessa with the consent of the patriarchs, an appointment associated with the Patriarch of Jerusalem; the sources place his episcopate in the era of the Emperor Michael and the regency of Theodora (842-855).
during his episcopateMission to BaghdadTo relieve the Orthodox of Edessa from persecution he traveled to the ruler at Baghdad. The synaxarion relates that he healed the gravely ill ruler and that the ruler, with companions, was baptized under the name John.
848Repose at the LavraSensing the approach of death, he returned to the Lavra of Saint Sabbas, blessed the clergy and laity of Edessa, and reposed there in 848.

Contributions & Legacy

2 contributionsReadHide

Episcopate and the Defense of Orthodoxy

The sources present Theodore's episcopate as chiefly a teaching ministry directed against heresies the synaxarion names as the Arian, Nestorian, and Eutychian errors then present in the region. His diplomatic journey to the Muslim capital is framed as an effort to secure protection for the Orthodox of Edessa rather than as a strictly doctrinal dispute.

By tradition the ruler he met at Baghdad, healed of a grave illness, accepted Christian baptism together with several companions and took the name John; the account further relates that these converts later confessed their faith openly and died as martyrs.

The Life and Its Transmission

Theodore's Life is traditionally attributed to Bishop Basil of Emesa and was written in Greek; a copy is reported to be preserved at the Iveron Monastery on Mount Athos.

The work circulated widely and, according to the synaxarion, became popular devotional reading in Russia during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

Family1 relativeShowHide

His kinsman and disciple at the Lavra of Saint Savva, martyred at Jerusalem.

Monastic Martyr Michaelthe Black-Robed

Related Saints1 saintShowHide

Saints connected to his life, mission, and place in Orthodox tradition.

Founder of the Great Lavra in Palestine, where Theodore was tonsured, lived as an ascetic for some twenty-four years, and returned at the end of his life to repose.

Venerable Savvathe Sanctified

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Sources: OCA Synaxarion (oca.org), Lives of the Saints