MartyrPre-Nicene

Martyr Theodore of Alexandria

Also known as Theodore

A Christian layman of Alexandria imprisoned and tortured for confessing Christ.

September 12New Calendar

Feast Day

September 25Old Calendar

Suggest a correction Contribute

Icon galleryBrowse icons and imagery elsewhere

Commemorated as

The Holy Martyr Theodore of Alexandria

Life

Theodore of Alexandria was a Christian layman of Alexandria who was imprisoned, tortured, and put to death for confessing Christ during one of the early Christian persecutions. He is commemorated in the Eastern Orthodox calendar on September 12.

He is a genuinely obscure figure of the pre-Nicene martyr tier, with no fixed dates recorded. He is distinct from Theodore the Bishop (Patriarch) of Alexandria, commemorated December 3, with whom he has at times been confused.

Troparion & Kontakion2 hymnsReadHide

TroparionTone 3

Your holy martyr Theodore, O Lord,
through his sufferings has received an incorruptible crown from You, our God.
For having Your strength, he laid low his adversaries,
and shattered the powerless boldness of demons.
Through his intercessions, save our souls!

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

KontakionTone 2

(Podoben: “You sought the heights...”) You appeared as a bright star announcing Christ with your radiance,
which is repulsive to this world, O Martyr Theodore;
extinguishing the allure of false gods,
you enlighten the faithful,
always interceding for us all.

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

Contributions & Legacy

2 contributionsReadHide

Confession and Martyrdom

According to the OCA synaxarion, Theodore was a simple Christian who was thrown into prison for confessing Christ. The fuller account preserved by the Mystagogy Resource Center relates that he proclaimed Christ fearlessly and was seized by pagans for his testimony.

The same account describes the torments he endured: a crown of thorns was placed on his head; he was struck and spat upon; he was paraded publicly through Alexandria in chains; and he was cast into the sea, from which the tradition holds he emerged unharmed by divine grace. He was finally beheaded by order of the governor. A liturgical verse commemorating him reads, in substance, that his head was struck off with a sword and that he shared in the gifts of God, playing on the meaning of his name ("gift of God").

Identity and Sources

Theodore the martyr has at times been erroneously identified with Patriarch Theodore I of Alexandria (also called Theodore Scribo), who served as Greek Patriarch of Alexandria between roughly 607 and 609, opposed the Heraclian revolt, and is commemorated on December 3. The two are entirely distinct: the martyr was a layman of a much earlier, pre-Nicene era. This confusion is documented in the Hagiologion and corrected by the Mystagogy account and other sources.

Sourcing for the martyr is sparse. The OCA's feast-day page records "No information available at this time," marking his synaxarion entry as a stub; OrthodoxWiki has no dedicated article; and the Wikipedia entry for September 12 lists him only by name with the identification note. The fullest available narrative is the brief account at the Mystagogy Resource Center, drawing on the Greek Great Synaxaristes.

Related SaintsShowHide

Browse other saints who share his calling and place.

More Egypt152 More Early Martyrs547

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