Hierarch
Saint Meliton, Bishop of Sardis
April 1 Old CalendarApril 14 New Calendar
Life
He served in Asia Minor. A renowned pastor of the Church in the second century. Possessing great learning, he labored to gather all the books of Holy Scripture into one codex. By his meekness and piety he also labored to bring peace to the Church of Laodicea, which had been troubled by the dispute over the celebration of Pascha. Besides this, he defended Christianity before the pagans. Thus around the year 170 he traveled to Rome and presented to Emperor Marcus Aurelius a written defense (apology) of the faith and the Christian Church. This learned, pious, and zealous man, Saint Meliton, reposed peacefully in the Lord in the year 177.
From the Prologue from Ochrid by St. Nikolai Velimirovich, April 1. Translated by Marcian Sakarya, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Also commemorated on April 1
The full reading for April 1 includes the hymn of praise, a reflection, a contemplation and a homily.
Open April 1 in the reader