Holy Twelve Martyrs

Life

These are the Holy Twelve Martyrs, who suffered during the time of Emperor Diocletian. The first of them, Pamphilus, presbyter of the church in Palestinian Caesarea, a learned and pious man, corrected the text of the New Testament from the errors of various copyists; he himself copied this salvific book and gave it to those who desired it. The second was the deacon Valens, old in years and gray with wisdom. He was an excellent authority of Holy Scripture, and knew it almost by heart. The third was Paul, an honorable and distinguished man, who once before had been cast into fire for Christ. In addition, five more brothers in body and spirit, who were born in Egypt were returning from forced labor in the Cilician mines to their homeland. At the gate of the city of Caesarea they said they were Christians, for which they were brought before the court. When asked what their names were, they said: "The pagan names which our mother gave us, we have cast off and we have called ourselves Elijah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Samuel and Daniel." When asked where they were from, they said: "From the Heavenly Jerusalem." All these were beheaded, and with them also suffered the youth Porphyrius, who sought their bodies to bury them. He was burned in fire, as well as Seleucus, who came and kissed the martyrs before the sword fell on their heads. Seleucus had earlier been an officer. Also martyred was the elder Theodulus, servant of the Roman judge, who at the funeral kissed one of the martyrs. Lastly, Julian, who kissed the dead bodies of the martyrs and praised them. And thus they gave the little for the great, and the cheap for the precious, and the mortal for the immortal, and departed to the Lord in the year 308.

From the Hymn of Praise

Martyrs of Christ, noble flowers,That forever will not wither.Martyrs of Christ, living evergreens,That toward heaven stretch, stained with blood.