died during the reign of Diocletian (284–305)
Christians of Ephesus who suffered under Diocletian, being beaten, dragged by wild horses, and dying for Christ.
The Holy Martyrs Onesiphorus and Porphyrius of Ephesus
Onesiphorus and Porphyrius were Christians of Ephesus in Asia Minor who suffered martyrdom during the persecution of the Roman emperor Diocletian (reigned 284–305). They are commemorated together as a named pair on November 9.
According to the Orthodox synaxarion, the two were beaten and burned and then tied to wild horses, which dragged them over stones until they died. Believers afterward gathered their remains and buried them reverently, though the place of burial is not recorded.
The martyr Onesiphorus of Ephesus is a distinct figure from the Apostle Onesiphorus, one of the Seventy and bishop of Colophon and Corinth, who is commemorated on September 7.
The pair of glorious martyrs, Onesiphorus and Porphyrius,
endured their suffering with strength,
dashing down to the earth the arrogance of the enemy,
and shining with the grace of the uncreated Trinity;
together with the angels, they unceasingly pray for us all.
Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).
Your holy martyrs, Onesiphorus and Porphyrius, 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 pair are commemorated in the Orthodox Church on November 9. The Orthodox Church in America preserves a Troparion and Kontakion for their feast as well as an icon, attesting their formal liturgical veneration.
Beyond the brief synaxarion account, little biographical detail survives; the martyrs are genuinely obscure, and the surviving hagiographic notice rests principally on the synaxarion entry for their feast.
Orthodox tradition distinguishes the Ephesian martyr Onesiphorus, who suffered with Porphyrius under Diocletian, from the Apostle Onesiphorus numbered among the Seventy, bishop of Colophon and Corinth, who is commemorated on September 7. The two share a name but are recorded as separate persons.
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