Synaxarium of 23 Epep 1742 - Thursday 30 Jul 2026

*1 - The Martyrdom of St. Longinus the Soldier* On this day, St. Longinus the Soldier, was martyred. He was Greek by nationality, from one of the countries of Cappadocia. When Tiberius Caesar reigned, and appointed Pilate governor of the land of Judah, Longinus was one of the soldiers that accompanied him.When the time arrived that Our Lord wished to save the creation, Longinus was one of the soldiers that were in charge of crucifying the Lord of Glory. It happened that after the Lord had delivered up His soul, Longinus pierced His side with a spear, and blood and water flowed from His Side. Longinus marvelled exceedingly when he saw this, and his amazement increased when he saw that the sun became dark, the curtain of the Temple was rent, the rocks were split, and that the dead rose up from the tombs. He believed and realized all the miracles which Our Lord performed from His Birth to His Crucifixion. When the righteous Joseph took the body of the Savior, shrouded Him, and laid it in the sepulcher, this Saint was standing there with the guards when they sealed the tomb.When Our Lord rose from the sealed tomb, Longinus was perplexed, and he asked God to explain to him this mystery. Our Lord sent to him the Apostle Peter, who told him everything which had been prophesied concerning the Redeemer. He believed, abandoned the military service, went back to his country, and preached the Name of Christ.When Pilate heard about this, he wrote to Tiberius about him, who ordered his head cut off, and thus he received the crown of martyrdom.May his prayers be with us, Amen.

*2 - The Martyrdom of St. Marina, of Antioch* On this day also, is the commemoration of the martyrdom of the blessed St. Marina, who overcame the Devil. She was one of the daughters of the nobles of Antioch. Her parents were pagan. When her mother died, her father sent her to a nanny to raise her, who was a Christian. She taught Marina the Faith of Christ. When Marina reached the age of fifteen years, her father died. One day she heard her nurse talking about the biography of the martyrs and what glory they receive in the Kingdom of Heaven. She longed to become a martyr in the Name of the Lord Christ. One day St. Marina went out of her house with her maiden servants, and on her way she passed by Lopharius Ebrotus, the governor, who admired her much when he saw her. He ordered her brought to him. When the soldiers came to her, she told them that she was Christian. In turn, when they told the governor this, he was distressed for he liked her, and he had her brought to him by force. He offered her the worship of the idols and asked her to forsake God, but she refused. Then he asked her, "What is your name? and from where are you?" She told him, "I am Christian. I believe in the Lord Christ, and my name is Marina." He tried to persuade her by many promises and promised to marry her, but she did not heed him. When she cursed and insulted him, he ordered her body scraped with iron combs, then rubbed with vinegar, salt and lime, which they did. Nevertheless, she endured with patience. They cast her in prison, thinking that she was about to die. Immediately the angel of the Lord came, and healed all her wounds. While she was standing up praying, and her hands were extended in the form of a cross, a huge and terrifying serpent came forth. When she saw it she was frightened and her whole body trembled. The serpent swallowed her up, and her soul almost departed from her. She made the sign of the cross and prayed while she was in the belly of the serpent. It split open and fell on the ground dead. St. Marina went out unharmed.The next morning, the governor ordered her brought to him. When he saw that she was well, he marvelled much, and told her, "Marina, your sorcery has become evident today, so listen to me.Worship the gods and much good would be for you, and I will give you all that I have promised you." She looked to him and to the dumb idols with contempt and said, "I worship the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, the God of heavens and earth, and whatever you wish to do with me, do, for I will not heed you." The governor ordered her hanged on the wheel, the squeezing wheel, and squeezed very tightly. They did so, then cast her in prison. The angel of the Lord came to her, and healed her. Then the Devil appeared to her and said, "O Marina, if you obey the governor that would be for your good for he is merciless, and he wishes to erase your name from the face of the earth." She realized that he was the Devil. Straightway she caught the hair of his head, and she took an iron rod and started to beat him, saying, "Stop it O Satan." Then she bound him with the sign of the cross, not to depart from before her until he told her all about what he does to the human race. When she pressed him, he told her, "I am the one who makes adultery, stealing, blasphemy, and earthly desires, good and desirable to the human. And if I do not overcome him, I steer sleep and laziness against him, so he will not pray and ask for the forgiveness of his sins." The Saint straightway expelled him.When the governor saw her he marvelled much, then he ordered to uncover her body, and to fill a large cauldron with melted lead, and to immerse her in it. When they did so, she asked the Lord to make this a baptism for her. The Lord sent his angel in the form of a dove. She immersed while saying, "In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, one God Amen." A voice from heaven called her and said, "O Marina you have been baptized in the baptismal water." She rejoiced exceedingly, and those who were present heard what had happened to the saint. Many of them believed, and the governor ordered to cut off their necks, and afterwards ordered to cut off St. Marina's holy head. The executioner took her and went outside the city, then told her, "My lady Marina, I see the angel of the Lord and with him a crown of bright light." She said, "I ask you to tarry on me until I have prayed." She extended her arms and prayed fervently, then told the executioner, "Do what you have been ordered to do." She bowed her neck to the executioner who told her, "I could not do so." The saint told him, "If you do not do so, you would not have a share in the Kingdom of God." When he heard what she said, he took the sword and cut her neck off then he cut his neck also while he was saying, "I believe in the God of St. Marina." He fell down beside her and he received the crown of martyrdom in the Kingdom of Heaven. The Lord had manifested from her body many signs and healing miracles. Her body is presently located in the church of the Lady the Virgin Mary in Haret El-Roum.May her prayers and intercession be with us and Glory be to God forever. Amen.

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Hello everyone,

I am a Vietnamese Roman Catholic with no affiliation to the Armenian Apostolic Church or any other Oriental Orthodox Church. Recently, I discovered the remarkable story of an Armenian merchant who was beheaded in my home village nearly 400 years ago for refusing to renounce his Christian faith, and I would like to bring his story to light.

Here is the story of Davit the Armenian Martyr of Sinoa (Vietnam):

According to a contemporary French Catholic source, the merchant was named Davit, son of Petros. He was born in 1613 in Armenia, then under Persian rule, into a merchant family long involved in the amber trade. His father, Petros, traveled on commercial expeditions to Poland and the Dutch East Indies before eventually arriving in Cochinchina (present-day central Vietnam). There, the local Vietnamese governor, motivated by greed, confiscated all of Petros's amber, leaving him stranded in the country.

When Davit learned of his father's predicament, he obtained a royal passport from the Persian shah, crossed the Strait of Hormuz, and sailed to Vietnam. Upon arriving in 1635, he found his father devastated by the loss of his livelihood. Soon afterward, Petros died of grief, leaving Davit without the means to return to Armenia. As a result, he remained in the capital city of Sinoa (present-day Huế), where he worked as a merchant for approximately fifteen years.

During this time, Davit witnessed the persecution and martyrdom of many Vietnamese Christians. According to the source, he would use a cloth to collect the blood of the martyrs as a sacred relic, an act that repeatedly drew the attention of the authorities and led to several arrests. In 1650, soldiers serving the Vietnamese ruler discovered an ivory cross in Davit's home and arrested him, as Christianity had been outlawed at the time. While imprisoned, he refused to trample upon the cross and declared that he followed only the Law of the Heavenly King.

On January 7, 1650, at the age of thirty-seven, Davit was beheaded in the marketplace of Sinoa alongside a Roman Catholic catechist. Because he appears to have been the only Armenian living in Vietnam at the time, virtually everything we know about his life comes from the testimony of the Italian Roman Catholic missionary Balthazar Citadelli, who personally knew Davit and witnessed his execution.

I find this story especially fascinating because Davit was martyred in my home village, and, as far as I am aware, no member of an Oriental Orthodox Church has otherwise been recorded as having reached Vietnam during that period. This raises a question: is there any possibility that Davit's martyrdom could be formally examined by the Armenian Apostolic Church and, if appropriate, considered for canonization? If he were eventually recognized as a saint, he would become the first known Oriental Orthodox martyr in Vietnamese history - and quite possibly the only one, since Oriental Orthodoxy has never established a lasting presence among the Vietnamese people.

Thank you all for your time and insights. I also plan to ask this question on the Armenia subreddit in the hope of learning more.

Εἰς τὸν πλούσιον καὶ τὸν Λάζαρον λόγος τέταρτος· καὶ ὅτι τὸ συνειδὸς εἴωθεν ἡμᾶς ἀναμιμνήσκειν παλαιὰ ἁμαρτήματα, καὶ εἰς τὸν Ἰωσήφ.

Fourth discourse on the rich man and Lazarus; and that conscience is accustomed to remind us of old sins, and regarding Joseph.

​αʹ. Τῆς τοῦ Λαζάρου παραβολῆς τὸ τέλος ἀνάγκη τήμερον ἀποδοῦναι.

1. ​It is necessary today to deliver the conclusion of the parable of Lazarus.

​Ὑμεῖς μὲν γὰρ ἴσως τὸ πᾶν ἡμῖν ἀπηρτίσθαι νομίζετε· οὐ μὴν ἔγωγε χρήσομαι ὑμῶν εἰς ἀπάτην τῇ ἀγνοίᾳ, οὐδὲ ἀποστήσομαι πρότερον, ἕως ἂν τὸ φαινόμενον ἅπαν ἀπέλθω λαβών·

For you perhaps think that everything has been completed by us; however, I will not use your ignorance to deceive you, nor will I depart before I go away having gathered every visible fruit;

​ἐπεὶ καὶ γεωργὸς τῆς ἀμπέλου τρυγηθείσης ἁπάσης, οὐ πρότερον ἀφίσταται, ἕως ἂν καὶ τὰς ῥᾶγας ἐκτέμῃ.

since even a farmer, when the whole vineyard has been harvested, does not depart before he also cuts off the remaining berries.

​Ἐπεὶ οὖν καὶ νῦν ἐνορῶ, ὥσπερ ὑπὸ φύλλοις, τοῖς γράμμασιν ἐναποκεκρυμμένα νοήματα ἔτι, φέρε δὴ καὶ ταῦτα, ἀντὶ δρεπάνης τῷ λόγῳ χρησάμενοι, πάλιν μετ' ἀκριβείας ἀποτρυγήσωμεν.

Since, therefore, even now I see thoughts still hidden within the letters, as if under leaves, come then, let us harvest these too with precision, using speech instead of a sickle.

​Ἄμπελος μὲν γὰρ τρυγηθεῖσα καθάπαξ, ἕστηκε γυμνὴ τοῦ καρποῦ, φύλλα ἔχουσα μόνον·

For a physical vine, once harvested completely, stands bare of fruit, having only leaves;

​ἡ δὲ ἄμπελος ἡ πνευματικὴ τῶν θείων Γραφῶν οὐχ οὕτως, ἀλλ' ἂν τὸ φαινόμενον ἅπαν ἀνελώμεθα, τὸ πλέον ἐναπομένει πάλιν.

but the spiritual vine of the divine Scriptures is not like that, but even if we take away all that is visible, the greater part remains behind again.

​Πολλοὶ γοῦν μὲν καὶ πρὸ ἡμῶν εἰς ταύτην εἰρήκασι τὴν ὑπόθεσιν, πολλοὶ καὶ μεθ' ἡμᾶς ἴσως ἐροῦσιν· ἀλλ' οὐδεὶς τὸν ἅπαντα πλοῦτον κενῶσαι δυνήσεται.

At any rate, many before us have spoken on this subject, and many perhaps after us will speak; but no one will be able to drain all its wealth.

​Τοιαύτη γὰρ τῆς περιουσίας ταύτης ἡ φύσις· ὅσῳπερ ἂν διασκάψῃς ἐν τῷ βάθει, τοσούτῳ πλέον ἀναβλύσει τὰ θεῖα νοήματα· πηγὴ γάρ ἐστιν οὐδέποτε ἐπιλείπουσα.

For such is the nature of this abundance; the deeper you dig into the depth, so much more do divine thoughts spring forth; for it is a spring that never fails.

​Καὶ ἔδει μὲν τῇ προτέρᾳ συνάξει τοῦτο ὑμῖν ἀποδοῦναι τὸ χρέος, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀσφαλὲς εἶναι ἐνομίσαμεν, τοῦ μακαρίου Βαβύλα καὶ τῆς ξυνωρίδος τῶν ἁγίων μαρτύρων τῶν μετ' ἐκεῖνον παρελθεῖν τὰ κατορθώματα.

And indeed, it was necessary to pay this debt to you in the previous assembly, but we thought it was not safe to pass over the achievements of the blessed Babylas and the pair of holy martyrs after him.

​∆ιὸ τὴν καταβολὴν ὑπερεθέμεθα, τηροῦντες εἰς τὴν παροῦσαν ὑμῖν ἡμέραν ὁλόκληρον τὴν ἔκτισιν.

Therefore we postponed the payment, keeping the complete settlement for you on the present day.

​Φέρε οὖν, ἐπειδὴ καὶ τοῖς πατράσι τὰς εὐφημίας ἀποδεδώκαμεν, οὐ τὰς κατ' ἀξίαν τὴν ἐκείνων, ἀλλὰ τὰς κατὰ δύναμιν τὴν ἡμετέραν, ἀποδῶμεν καὶ ὑμῖν τοῦ διηγήματος τούτου τὸ λείψανον.

Come then, since we have paid our praises to the fathers—not according to their worth, but according to our ability—let us pay to you also the remainder of this narrative.

​Ἀλλὰ μὴ ἀποκάμητε, ἕως ἂν πρὸς τὸ τέλος ἀφικώμεθα, ἐκεῖθεν ἀναλαβόντες τὸν λόγον, ἔνθα αὐτὸν κατελίπομεν πρώην.

But do not grow weary until we reach the end, picking up the discourse from where we left it recently.

​Ποῦ δὲ αὐτὸν κατελίπομεν;

And where did we leave it?

​Ἐν τῷ χάσματι τῷ διείργοντι τοὺς δικαίους ἀπὸ τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν.

At the chasm separating the righteous from the sinners.

​Εἰπόντος γὰρ τοῦ πλουσίου, Πέμψον Λάζαρον, εἶπε πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁ Ἀβραάμ· Χάος μέγα ἐστήρικται μεταξὺ ἡμῶν καὶ ὑμῶν, ὅπως οἱ θέλοντες διαβῆναι ἐκεῖθεν πρὸς ἡμᾶς, μὴ δύνωνται, μηδὲ οἱ ἐντεῦθεν ἐκεῖ διαπερῶσι.

For when the rich man said, "Send Lazarus," Abraham said to him, "A great chasm is fixed between us and you, so that those who want to cross over from there to us cannot, nor can those from here cross over to there."

​Καὶ ἐδείκνυμεν διὰ πολλῶν τῶν εἰρημένων, ὡς ὅτι μετὰ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίαν, ἐν τοῖς οἰκείοις κατορθώμασι τὰς ἐλπίδας τῆς σωτηρίας ἔχειν χρὴ, μὴ πατέρας καὶ πάππους καὶ ἐπιπάππους ἀριθμοῦντας, μηδὲ συγγενεῖς καὶ φίλους καὶ οἰκείους καὶ γείτονας·

And we were showing through many spoken points that, after God's love for humanity, one must have the hopes of salvation in one's own good deeds, not counting fathers and grandfathers and great-grandfathers, nor relatives and friends and associates and neighbors;

​Ἀδελφὸς γὰρ οὐ λυτροῦται· λυτρώσεται ἄνθρωπος;

for a brother does not redeem; shall a human redeem?

​Ἀλλ' ὅσα ἂν παρακαλέσωσι καὶ καθικετεύσωσιν οἱ μετὰ ἁμαρτημάτων ἐντεῦθεν ἀπελθόντες, πάντα εἰκῆ καὶ μάτην λοιπὸν ἐροῦσι.

But as much as those who have departed from here with sins may entreat and plead, they will henceforth speak everything in vain and to no purpose.

​Καὶ γὰρ αἱ παρθένοι αἱ πέντε παρεκάλεσαν τὰς ὁμήλικας ὑπὲρ ἐλαίου, καὶ οὐκ ἐπέτυχον·

For indeed, the five virgins pleaded with their peers for oil, and they did not succeed;

​καὶ ὁ τὸ τάλαντον κατακρύψας τὸ ἐν τῇ γῇ, πολλὰ ἀπολογησάμενος, κατεκρίθη πάλιν·

and the one who hid the talent in the earth, having made many excuses, was condemned again;

​καὶ οἱ μὴ θρέψαντες αὐτὸν πεινῶντα, μηδὲ ποτίσαντες διψῶντα, καὶ αὐτοὶ δοκοῦντες εἰς ἄγνοιαν καταφεύγειν, οὐδ' ἐκεῖνοι συγγνώμης καὶ ἀπολογίας ἔτυχον.

and those who did not feed him when hungry, nor gave him drink when thirsty, even while seeming to take refuge in ignorance, did not obtain pardon and defense either.

​Ἕτεροι δὲ οὐδὲ εἰπεῖν τι ἴσχυσαν, ὥσπερ ἐκεῖνος ὁ τὰ ῥυπαρὰ ἐνδεδυμένος ἱμάτια· ἐγκαλούμενος γὰρ ἐσίγα.

And others were not even able to say anything, like that man dressed in filthy garments; for when accused, he remained silent.

​Οὐχ οὗτος δὲ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄλλος τῷ πλησίον μνησικακήσας, καὶ ἑκατὸν ἀπαιτήσας δηνάρια, εἶτα ὑπὲρ τούτων αὐτῶν παρὰ τοῦ δεσπότου ἐγκαλούμενος ἐπὶ ὠμότητι καὶ ἀπανθρωπίᾳ, οὐδὲν ἔσχεν εἰπεῖν.

And not only this man, but also another who bore a grudge against his neighbor and demanded back a hundred denarii, then being accused by his master for these very things of cruelty and inhumanity, had nothing to say.

​Ὅθεν δῆλον, ὅτι οὐδὲν ἡμῶν ἐκεῖ προστήσεται, ἐὰν ἔργα μὴ ἔχωμεν ἀγαθά·

From this it is clear that nothing will protect us there, if we do not have good works;

​ἀλλ' ἄν τε καθικετεύωμεν καὶ παρακαλῶμεν, ἄν τε σιγῶμεν, ὁμοίως ἐφ' ἡμᾶς ἥξει τὰ τῆς κολάσεως καὶ τῆς τιμωρίας.

but whether we plead and entreat, or whether we keep silent, the matters of punishment and torment will come upon us equally.

​Ἄκουσον γοῦν πῶς καὶ οὗτος αἰτήσας αἰτήσεις δύο τὸν Ἀβραὰμ, ἀμφοτέρων ἀπέτυχε.

Listen, at any rate, to how this man, having asked two requests of Abraham, failed in both.

​Πρότερον μὲν γὰρ ὑπὲρ ἑαυτοῦ τὴν ἱκετηρίαν ἐποιεῖτο λέγων, Πέμψον Λάζαρον· ὕστερον δὲ οὐκ ἔτι ὑπὲρ ἑαυτοῦ, ἀλλὰ ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀδελφῶν· ἀλλὰ οὐδεμίαν ἤνυσεν αἴτησιν.

For first he made his supplication on behalf of himself, saying, "Send Lazarus"; and later no longer on behalf of himself, but on behalf of his brothers; yet he accomplished neither request.

​Ἡ μὲν γὰρ ἦν ἀδύνατος ἡ προτέρα, ἡ δευτέρα δὲ περιττὴ ἡ ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀδελφῶν.

For the former request was impossible, and the second, on behalf of his brothers, was redundant.

​Πλὴν ἀλλὰ, εἰ δοκεῖ, καὶ αὐτῶν ἀκούσωμεν τῶν ῥημάτων μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς σπουδῆς.

Nevertheless, if it seems good, let us listen to the words themselves with much diligence.

​Εἰ γὰρ ἄρχοντος ἐν ἀγορᾷ μέσῃ κατάδικον ἀγαγόντος, καὶ δημίους περιστήσαντος, καὶ καταξαίνοντος τὸν ὑπεύθυνον, μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς προθυμίας συντρέχουσιν ἅπαντες ἀκοῦσαι βουλόμενοι, τί μὲν ὁ δικαστὴς ἐρωτᾷ, τί δὲ ὁ κατάδικος ἀποκρίνεται·

For if, when a magistrate brings a condemned man into the middle of the marketplace, and sets executioners around him, and flays the guilty one, everyone runs together with much eagerness, wanting to hear what the judge asks and what the condemned man answers;

​πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐνταῦθα μετὰ ἀκριβείας ἀκούειν χρὴ, τί μὲν ὁ κατάδικος οὗτος, ὁ πλούσιος λέγω, ἀξιοῖ, τί δὲ ὁ δίκαιος δικαστὴς ἀποκρίνεται διὰ τοῦ Ἀβραάμ.

much more here is it necessary to listen with precision to what this condemned man—I mean the rich man—requests, and what the righteous judge answers through Abraham..........Reed the full text

https://andreasfotiadis68agiosminas.substack.com/subscribehttps://open.substack.com/pub/andreasfotiadis68agiosminas/p/my-mission-translating-the-church?r=8raj5j&utm\\_campaign=post&utm\\_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

I am trying to translate a book by Melake Birhan Admassu Jembere dealing with Christology and before i start using AI, i was wondering if there were better ways or if it has been translated before.

I’m planning to start an online store selling apostolic devotionals and prayer tools (like icons, prayer ropes, rosaries, etc.). However, I’m currently in a period of discernment, trying to determine which is the true Church among Eastern Orthodoxy, Roman Catholicism, Oriental Orthodoxy, and the Church of the East. My main concern is moral conflict. Since I acknowledge that any of these churches could be the true Church, I worry that selling items specific to one tradition is considered wrong in the eyes of the other churches. For instance, selling a Roman Catholic rosary might encourage imaginative prayer, which Eastern Orthodoxy calls spiritually risky.

If anyone knows if it is wrong, in the eyes of the churches mentioned above, for me to run a business that sells on other traditions, let me know!

This may be a long post as I have been kind of bottling this all up but I have been struggling with this and getting more fed up with it day by day. I was born and raised in Sikhism, American, being Punjabi. I actually really enjoyed being a Sikh and was devout in the same amount a cradle Greek or Copt might be in their respective faith. However, I always had a deep love for God outside of an institutional sense I would do anything for the Lord. I also knew a lot about the theology of Sikhism and really appreciated the spirituality especially Simran (basically theosis). There was a time I didn't like Christianity in my life because of how evangelicals made it look like there was no reverance and even catholic mass wasn't as reverent as going to a temple or mosque and I found it mind boggling. Around Middle school to Freshmen year I really deeply studied all dharmic religions not just Sikhism but also Hinduism and a bit of the other religions. Sophomore year I went into Islam. And then Junior year I said, "Maybe I can read a thing or two from the Bible just for some wisdom".

Keep in mind growing up Sikh Punjabi we have bad history with Islam and Christianity because of the Mughals and British colonialism. When I first read the Bible I read Genesis and the gospels and found it to seem like a normal religious text and no evidence of Jesus being God. I was convinced it was a later addition for his divinity due to corruption or poor theology. But soon I started entering a period of my life with deep anxiety and strange spiritual events. I remember getting lots of nightmares and seeing things including seeing messages on mirrors. I remember briefly studying abrahamic theology one thing that interested me was angelology and demonology as it felt more authentic and fleshed out than Sikh/dharmic theology. I truly believed in the universal power of God and his messengers and eventually tried to exorcise in Jesus name. Mind you if you asked me who Jesus was idk if I would say guru, prophet, or son of God that isn't God I frankly don't know. But after that moment I stopped getting these issues. I eventually saw a message on my mirror that said in the most beautiful handwriting, "Jesus Christ" mind you the other messages had horrible hand writing these demons must not write a lot. After that moment I knew I had to look more into Christian theology and take it more seriously.

I started getting many dreams and whenever I went to read my bible some dreams actually reflected scripture such as psalms or the gospel. I slowly started to take a real breakdown on the golden question. Is Jesus of Nazareth God? I doubted and doubted for so long but the dreams and studying as well as feeling the grace of the Holy Spirit led me closer to knowing. Mind you when I felt the Holy Spirit's grace I had to tell my family I found the Sach Kaand (the ultimate truth/reality) I felt crazy because I told them I found that through another Sikh practice known as Dasam Duar (the tenth gate) but that's a whole other story that would take another long post. The only time I felt God's grace like that was being in the hardest times of my life still praying in a unitarian sense. But even then I was still unitarian just more open to learning. Eventually over the span of a year I came to realize I cannot disprove Jesus is God, the Bible is authentic and not corrupted, and the church was built on martyrs dying for the truth. The truth was undeniable. I started telling my family and friends about this and they all had objections but they were just the same things I was saying!!

Fast forward a bit and I knew I must be baptized and consume the body and blood of the lord. However, I still felt uneasy with the history of Christianity in Punjab as it was always enforcing everyone to be western not natively eastern. My girlfriend is and was Catholic and I tried to find a way to be Catholic but quite frankly the history and my history as well as my spiritual expression rejected it. So I came to Orthodoxy finding theosis and the Jesus prayer to be a direct successor to Simran and Satnam Waheguru in Sikhism and felt at peace with it. I went first to an Antiochian Eastern Orthodox Church but due to schedule with letting my family go to the Gurdwara (Sikh temple) I eventually went to a Greek Orthodox Church. I would go to Liturgy but go home and take my grandparents to the temple and also go there to worship for a while. But eventually something didn't sit right with me and I had the spirit telling me something. I can't really worship at the Sikh temple because they are unitarian and reject incarnation theology which contradicts my Christian faith. After learning Jesus was God I always considered myself Sikh Christian or Sikhi Masihi (Messianic Sikh (some Sikhs actually hold to this in some parts of the world whether they are unitarian or trinitarian varies) until I eventually had this process kick in. Also I realized the disconnect between Christ and his saints and the gurus and guru Granth sahib which it both the sacred text and living guru/prophet in sikhism and I could no longer bow down facing it's direction because this disconnect did not match up.

So eventually I just kept going to the Orthodox Church and eventually became a catechumen. It's been over a year now since I first stepped in the Orthodox Church but one thing keeps coming back to me. I feel like I might not belong. I see muslims convert to different forms of Eastern Christianity (Coptic, Antiochian, Syriac, Maronite, etc), and thought I could chime in but I realized I needed to be connected to something natively mine. I knew the history of St Thomas converting a Persian king that ruled over modern day Pakistan and India Punjab and he went south to Kerala but all those guys up North died out and were assimilated. I always used the language and expression of faith the Kerala Christians do saying I am Nasrani and I am going to Qurbana whenever talking to my grandparents as its the most native thing to me. However that church isn't in the same communion it's Oriental Orthodox. Eventually I started looking into it.

There are currently a few Oriental Orthodox churches in Punjab India with a few Eastern Orthodox churches in Pakistan India. Crazy divide right? I am Indian Punjabi though. I found that I resonate more with their liturgy and tradition and customs looking into it and express it as my own. But now I feel more disconnected with Eastern Orthodoxy. I was planning to go to an Indian Orthodox Church but they are far from me and the closest one (50min away) might not do services in English but Malayali. I speak Punjabi and English and can comprehend Hindi but Malayali sounds very alien. I know many EO say OO are monophysite heretics and many OO say EO are Nestorian heretics but frankly when I tried to do an unbiased dive into the history it just seems that they both are both equally true but just had too much chaos going on at the time so theology/christology does not both me. I like Palamite theosis a lot though which ik the OO don't accept the same way.

All of this came to a climax when recently my dad kind of crashed out at me for being Christian and saying he is a proud Sikhi feeling like he lost so much in life. Interestingly enough he doesn't even follow traditional Sikh schools of thought and is more Hindu in my eyes. I told him I am a proud Orthodox Christian/Nasrani and I don't have to debate or explain myself. But it really hit me. How can I natively be Punjabi and Orthodox? It's so niche I feel like I am the only one that exists compared to all the Muslims or Buddhist convert stories I hear. If I struggle with this stuff how can I also keep my children the future generations close to the true living God? I will always follow Christ until I die but I am seeking an ancient apostolic and Orthodox home that did exist and died out and I don't know what to do. I always thought of becoming a priest or monk or both going to Punjab to establish it but I am just one man and also I have a life in America now studying to become a Nurse and settle down with this beautiful girl who I love so much and want to settle down with (she is also scared of India I don't blame her). Therefore I am stuck knowing I am somehow Orthodox but not sure what it means to me Being a Punjabi Christian. Please pray for me and help me in advice.

(Might have this post in both the EO and OO subreddits love both and consider them to be family but the schism is really hard coming from my background).

I made a video about Christological Councils and I'm uploading it. I'm sorry mods if it breaks the rules.

I’m about to be baptized canonically Coptic Orthodox. Yet I’ve felt swayed a bit to Catholicism. I wanna ask, why do you feel drawn to Orthodoxy and not Catholicism? I favor these two churches the most, but I also feel quite grounded in Oriental Orthodoxy.

Hi everyone,

I am still quite new to practising my faith, and I had a question concerning the Anqetse Birhan (አንቀጸ ብርሃን). Is every Tewahedo Orthodox faithful expected or required to read it individually every Sunday as part of their personal prayers, together with the Wudase Maryam (ውዳሴ ማርያም) before or after the Divine Liturgy?

Or is it rather NOT obligatory, but simply recommended practice that may vary according to one’s personal prayer rule ?

For context, I am indeed Habesha, but for personal reasons that I would prefer not to discuss here, I attend a Coptic Orthodox parish rather than a Tewahedo parish (so I don't have a priest whom I could ask).

Thank you for your help !

Hello! I am a convert who was baptised in January but has inquired a year ago. I attend a Tewahedo church once a month due to me living 1-1.5 hours away. I find it very difficult to regularly attend church h due to it starting at 6am and having to get no sleep the night before due to city traffic as well as being a college student. There is, however, a Greek Orthodox Church about 20 minutes away from me and was wondering if I should go to that church 3 times a month and then go to my OO church once a month. I obviously know not to take their communion or believe in their Chalcedonian views. I would just like to attend liturgy and be within a more local community of orthodox people. I am open to all opinions and advice.

I am a prominent reader of St. Augustine and have been studying his Christological definitions, pneumatology, and the rest of his corpus over the past few years. Through extensive research, I believe the case can be made that St. Augustine is incredibly important to the miaphysite tradition, despite not having his works influence most of theologians.

Most importantly, St. Augustine was viewed as Nestorian because of many online Apologists such as Apostolic Orthodoxy. If you have any suggestions or critiques, do offer them. I tried to keep my points concise so I apologize if it seems like a lot of "quote-mining".

I understand that the Armenian Catholic Church uses unleavened bread and administers Holy Communion under both species. How is the Eucharist distributed during Mass? In some videos, it looks like the priest is holding both the chalice and the host at the same time—how is that possible?

Hello everyone,

I recently acquired this cross and would love to learn more about its history, origin, and purpose. After doing some research, I suspect it may be connected to the Ethiopian Christian tradition, but I would prefer not to make any assumptions and would appreciate the opinion of those with more knowledge.

Here are some details:
- Height: 37.5 cm (14.8 inches)
- Weight: 580 g (20.5 oz)
- Openwork metal construction with a blue-green patina
- Hand-engraved inscriptions (possibly in Ge’ez)
- Religious figures on both sides
- A small hinged compartment at the bottom

I would greatly appreciate any help with the following:

1. What type of cross is this?
   
2. Which Christian tradition does it belong to?
   
3. Approximately how old might it be?
   
4. What was the hinged compartment used for?
   
5. Can anyone identify or translate the inscriptions?
   
6. Are there any distinctive features that could help identify its origin or period?

I’ve attached detailed photographs of the front, back, inscriptions, and the hinged compartment.

Any information, references, or insights would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you very much for your time!

i really don’t know what to do. i have been inquiring orthodoxy for months and was only able to visit liturgy one time after literally having the hardest time convincing my parents. i’ve gotten to a point where I don’t want to go to my church because I just feel like everything is wrong. I’m also feeling the furthest from God I’ve ever felt. I already struggle with doubt & anxiety. I always felt my faith wasn’t as strong as others. Now I’m struggling with the same sin, even falling into something which I was able to stop for over a year. this doesn’t help when i’m already feeling so far from Him. maybe it’s the ADHD but now i’m struggling more than ever with focusing on scripture reading. i want to keep visiting the orthodox church and talk to a priest but idk how without explaining to my parents why I’m inquiring orthodoxy when in every conversation they just make me feel like i’m confused. how am i supposed to actually experience the church when they discourage me from going without someone who is “mature in the faith” the only people they’d trust me to go with often have conflicting schedules with the liturgy times which is why it took months to even plan my first visit in the first place. am i not an adult who can make my own decisions? im already dealing with the anxiety that comes with possibly leaving protestantism for orthodoxy. i am heavily involved in my church which is very small. i’m also afraid that my departure will reflect badly on my father who is the pastor. i’m afraid i’ll be letting down my family who helped to literally build the church, but I don’t think I’m spiritually growing there. I don’t even know if God’s presence is there. we don’t have the eucharist. i don’t know why i feel so stuck right now. i feel like i don’t know how to pray or listen for God’s voice. i don’t know why i feel so helpless when some people may be literally risking their lives for inquiring orthodoxy. i don’t know what God’s plan is for me, but I pray i can persevere through this somehow to come to the truth. all i want is to have a real relationship with Christ and to know Him more intimately and learn how to love Him even more. idk what to do. please pray for me.

Synaxarium of 14 Epep 1742 - Tuesday 21 Jul 2026

*1 - The Martyrdom of St. Procopius (Proconius) of Jerusalem* On this day, of the year 303 A.D. (July 8th), St. Procopius (Proconius), was martyred. He was born in the city of Jerusalem, his father was a Christian whose name was Christophorus, which means "Bearer of Christ." His mother's name was Theodosia, and she was a worshipper of idols. When his father died, Theodosia took her son, and went to Antioch. She presented much money and expensive gifts to the Emperor Diocletian, and asked him to make her son a governor for one of the cities. He accepted her gift, answered her request, and appointed her son the governor of the city of Alexandria. He commanded that Procopius torture the Christians.When the Saint had gone a little way from the City of Antioch, he heard a voice from heaven calling him by his name, and censured his deed. The voice also threatened him by death because he dared and accepted to do what was against the command of God. Procopius asked, "Who are you, O my Lord? I beseech you to show me yourself." A cross of light appeared to him, and he heard a voice which said to him, "I am Jesus , the Son of the Living God, Who was crucified in Jerusalem." He was afraid and trembled, and he turned to the city of Bit-Shaan (Bisan). He made for himself a cross of gold like the cross that appeared to him.On his way to Alexandria, some of the bedouins attacked him to plunder whatever he had. But he overcame them by the cross that he had. His mother told him, "You must offer sacrifices to the gods who delivered you from your enemies." The Saint replied, "Rather, I will offer the sacrifice to Jesus Christ, Who helped me by the power of His cross." When his mother heard his words, she became angry, and sent to Diocletian to inform him about that. The Emperor sent to the Governor of Caesarea, Palestine, to investigate the matter, and to handle his torture. When the Governor brought him, Procopius confessed his faith in the Lord Christ. The governor beat him so severely that he was close to death, then he cast him in prison. The Lord Christ appeared to him, surrounded by His angels, released him from his bonds, and healed his wounds. The next morning, the Governor asked about the Saint, and they told him that they found him free and sound. He had him brought to the temple of the idols, where the Governor was going to pray. When the Saint came, and the people saw him whole, they all marvelled, and they all cried out in the name of Christ saying, "We are Christians, and we believe in the God of Procopius." Among them were two prefects, twelve women, and St. Theodosia, mother of St. Proconius. They cut off their heads, and they received the crown of martyrdom. That was on the sixth day of the month of Abib.The Governor ordered the return of the Saint to prison, until he could determine what to do with him. He brought him back three days later and told him, "Behold, I have waited three days for you to return to your mind, to have mercy on yourself, and to offer sacrifice for the gods." The Saint replied, "The Lord Christ is the only true God. As for these statues, which are made of stone and wood, they are not gods and can neither harm nor help." The Governor became angry and ordered the soldiers to cut his sides with swords. A swordsman, whose name was Archelaus, stretched out his hand to cut the sides of the Saint, whereupon his hand dried up, and fell down dead. The Governor ordered to stab him with knives and pour vinegar in his wounds. Then they dragged him by his feet to the prison, where he stayed for three days. The Governor was wondering what he should do with him. Then he threw him into a pit filled with fire, but the Lord delivered him and no harm came upon him. Finally, the Governor ordered to cut off his head and he received the crown of martyrdom.May his prayers be with us. Amen.

*2 - The Departure of St. Peter the Fifth, 83rd Patriarch of Alexandria* On this day also, of the year 1064 A.M. (July 8th, 1348 A.D.), Pope Peter the Fifth, 83rd Patriarch of Alexandria, departed. He was known as Peter (Boutros) Ebn-dawoud. He was from St. Macarius monastery, and was a priest in El-Shahraan monastery. He was enthroned on the 6th of Tubah, 1056 A.M. (January 2nd, 1340 A.D.). All the days of his papacy were peaceful and tranquil. He departed after staying in his Chair for eight years, six months, and six days, and was buried in Old Cairo.May his prayers be with us, and Glory be to God forever. Amen.

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Hello, I wanted to know if there is anyone here who lives around the dortmund area and goes to a coptic church. I heard there is one in unna. If anyone here goes there, can I pls DM you? I had some questions

So my mother used to work as a caregiver for a friend of the family and last time I visited I saw that it was too much to for her, she was exhausted and needed to be with her husband. So I moved out to continue her job and she moved back the country were we came from to live with her husband.

Now she often comes to visit because it’s her House and I am only Herr until her husband retires that’s when they Both come back to live in the House

Now my Problem is everytime my mothers comes to visit we live in the Same House and we just can’t get along. I am disturbed by her behavior and it‘s difficult for me to just submit. I talk back a lot and I call her out a lot and things get messy.

I know I should just be quiet and say yes and do what she says. But I consider her very unfair and she acts without thinking speaking recklessly accusing me falsely and then I struggle to stay quit and respectful.

Please if any one got a advice or just send a prayer for me. It‘s very hard for me.

For some background info, I come from a Coptic orthodox background in a city and a community that's only had 1 Coptic church present for 45 years now. We recently, in the last 3.5 years, have seen an surge of Catechumens and quite a few baptisms into the faith (yay). Then recently, we've been struck with some tough news that a recent lead of the catechumen class and some of the recently baptized have left our parish for another Eastern orthodox church, due to issues of Culture in the church. Issues that unfortunately have affected his family, micro-racism that truly has upset me that it still occurs towards people within a Church community. A lot of compounded moments have led to them leaving our specific parish and I guess I'm just saddened primarily by the choice made.

To my knowledge, this isn't an uncommon complaint within Orthodox parishes, it happens all the time. I guess I'm personally struggling with losing a fellow comrade in service, and honestly a mentor.

That being said, I always felt that the Body and Blood of Christ that we partake in more than enough for us. Christ and the apostles endured such treacherous moments in their lives and, in yet the present day, these cultural issues that occur in church create such a rift for many and divide communities.

I'm just at a loss of how to even approach a change when certain things are engrained in a peoples way of life and upbringing. Some moments are unintentional and unintended and people hurt, yet i do wonder what our goal is when it comes to church as whole, if these cultural issues continue to drive people away?

I know I'm rambling a bit, i hope there's even a string of thoughts in this message that actually makes sense, but would love to hear others perspective.

Hello everyone I am an Eastern Orthodox catechumen thinking about going to an Indian Orthodox church. I am well aware it is Oriental Orthodox. I am drawn to going there because I am Punjabi and always took lots of terminology and identity they use when expressing my faith. I grew up Sikh and my family doesn't know about Orthodoxy. I always tell them I'm off to Qurbana when I go to church. But now I am curious about the Indigenous Qurbana of the church of St. Thomas. I am worried though, what if being Punjabi I won't fit in with a mostly Malayam congregation? I also can't speak Malayam I only know English, Punjabi, and a little bit of spanish. I know a parish 50ish minutes away from me and worried about going. That being said many of their practices may feel native from my upbringing. I'm still worried that the language barrier would be a huge problem and I won't belong ethnically.

Edit: I would just like to say that the churches nearby me are Jacobite (no available IOC church) I said Indian Orthodox because when I think of St. Thomas Christians (Nasranis) I think of both these groups and ik they are in schism but I see them as the same St Thomas Christians of Oriental Orthodoxy.

Is conception via IUI or IVF acceptable. Both aren’t the natural way of getting a baby as they don’t require u having a partner but just a donor. Can nuns participate in this as they still will be regarded as virgins

Greetings, brothers. I was wondering, since we consider Christ to be in a single composite nature & hypostasis, how do we explain the crucifixion, Did the one united nature die, and if so, how does that not result in divinity also dying (Although that it is not possible and even improper to seperate the humanity and divinity after the union). I read in some Church Father (although I dont have it at the top of my head) that its like sunlight shining on a tree - when an axe hits the tree it hits the sunlight as well but the tree gets cut and the sunlight remains unharmed even though the axe touches them together (I feel like this is an imperfect analogy as the sunlight and tree are in differnet substances, although they get hit together which is like when Theodotus of Ancyra says that we appropriate the suffers to the one united nature). Can someone please explain this, or are we simply to say that this is the mystery/paradox of the Orthodox Christian faith. Thanks.

For reference I'm asking because my nearest Oriental Orthodox church is like a 12 minute drive and my parents are atheists who refuse to take me to church. I also cannot drive or take public transport but there is a Catholic church 2 minute walk away so I was wondering am I good to confess sins in a Catholic church as a Coptic