The holy Martyrs Dorothea, Christina, Callista, and Theophilus of Caesarea in Cappadocia.
Saint Dorothea [Dorothy] was from the city of Caesarea in Cappadocia. Fearlessly practising her faith amidst the persecution of Diocletian and Maximian, she became known for her Christian piety and the governor Sapricius, a persecutor of Christians, learned of her and came to Caesarea and had her appear before him. Diligently questioning her and finding her invincible to his arguments, he had her tortured then turned her over to two sisters named Christina and Callista, who out fear of torture had renounced Christ and been amply rewarded by the pagans for their apostasy. Sapricius promised the sisters even greater gifts if they could turn Dorothea away from Christ to the idols. But she, promising the apostates mercy from God if they turned to Him again, drew them up from their despair and renewed their hope, so that they fell at her feet weeping and asking her to pray for them.
When the sisters were commanded by Sapricius to appear before him with Dorothea, they told him that they had sinned in sacrificing to idols, and were Christians once again. In fury, Sapricius had them thrown into a cauldron of boiling pitch. Saint Dorothea stood by them in their suffering giving them strength until they had won the crown of martyrdom. Sapricius then had Saint Dorothea burned with torches, but she only taunted him the more, filled with joy, so he had her beaten also. Finally he pronounced the sentence of death against her.
As she was led out to the place of execution, a scholasticus or lawyer named Theophilus mocked her, saying, “Bride of Christ, send me an apple or some roses from your Bridegroom’s Paradise.” She promised him to do so. When she arrived at the place of beheading, she asked to be permitted to pray a little, after which a young child appeared to her with three beautiful apples and three roses, whom she asked to take them to Theophilus and tell him, “Behold what you asked of me, that I should send to you from my Bridegroom’s Paradise.” She was then beheaded. It was February 6 in the year 303 or 304.
The Angel in the form of a child appeared to Theophilus, who was with his friends laughing over the request he had made to Dorothea, and he handed Theophilus the roses and apples and told him what Dorothea had bidden him say. With a shout Theophilus confessed that Christ is the true God; his friends asked him if he were mad, or joking. He asked them where apples and roses came from in February, with Cappadocia covered with ice and snow, and confessing the miracle, insisted on his faith in Christ. For this he was taken before Sapricius who tried at length with exhortations and threats to turn him back to the idols, to no avail. He had Theophilus hung from a post and savagely beaten, but all this achieved was that Theophilus said now he was made a Christian, being hanged as it were on a cross like Christ his Lord.
To this Sapricius said, “Unhappy man! Spare your flesh,” and Theophilus answered, “Unhappy man! Spare your soul.”
Then in fury they tore his flesh with iron hooks and burned him with torches, in which he rejoiced and cried, “O Christ, Son of God, I confess Thee: add me to the number of Thy Saints.” Finally he was beheaded, an eleventh-hour laborer who received a reward equal with the others.
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