The Holy Seven Youths of Ephesus Maximilian, Jamblichus, Martinian, Dionysius, Anthony, Exacustodian, and Constantine.
The Seven Youths hid themselves in a certain cave near Ephesus in the year 250, to escape the persecution of Decius. By divine grace, a sleep came upon them and they slept for 184 years, until the reign of Saint Theodosius the Younger, when the doctrine of the resurrection was being assailed by heretics. They then awoke, that is, were resurrected, confirming in the sight of all the bodily resurrection; and again after a short time, by divine command, they reposed in the Lord in the year 434.
These Saints are celebrated both today and on August 4. There are some discrepancies in their names that would seem to defy sorting out. The Synaxarion for today’s commemoration lists their names as Maximilian, Jamblichus, Martinian, Dionysius, Antoninus, Exacustodian, and John, and they so appear in our Menaion for today. The Greek text that we used for our Great Horologion has Anthony instead of Antoninus and Constantine instead of John, as appears on page 286 of our Great Horologion, from which the above account was taken. A further discrepancy is found in that the Synaxarion for these Saints’ commemoration on August 4 has Maximilian, Exacustodian, Jamblichus, Martinian, Dionysius, John, and Constantine, which omits Anthony/Antoninus. Since it is not unheard-of for a person to bear two names, it may be that Antoninus and Constantine are two names for the same person.
The above account is taken from the Great Horologion,
Copyright © 1997, Holy Transfiguration Monastery, Brookline, MA, all rights reserved.
All reproduction of texts or icons on this website in any form
without prior written permission is forbidden.