| Theodore Stratelates | |
|---|---|
St. Theodore Stratelates from the personal Gospel Book of St. Theodore the Black. |
|
| Great Martyr | |
| Born | ? unknown |
| Died | 319 Heraclea Pontica |
| Honored in | Eastern Orthodox Church |
| Feast | 8 February, formerly 7 February in the Latin Rite but not now liturgically celebrated in the western church |
| Attributes | Dressed as a warrior , with spear and shield, or as a civilian |
| Patronage | soldiers |
Theodore Stratelates ("the General"), also known as Theodore of Heraclea, is a martyr and Warrior Saint venerated with the title Great-martyr in the Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Catholic and Roman Catholic Churches.
There is much confusion between him and St Theodore of Amasea and they were in fact almost certainly the same person, whose legends later diverged into two separate traditions.
Contents |
According to some of the legends Theodore was appointed military-commander (stratelates) in the city of Heraclea Pontica, during the time the emperor Licinius (307–324) began a fierce persecution of Christians. Theodore himself invited Licinius to Heraclea, having promised to offer a sacrifice to the pagan gods. He requested that all the gold and silver statues of the gods which they had in Heraclea be gathered up at his house. Theodore then smashed them into pieces which he then distributed to the poor.
Theodore was arrested and subjected to torture and crucified. The witness was his servant Varos (also venerated as a saint). In the morning the imperial soldiers found him alive and unharmed. Not wanting to flee a martyr's death, Theodore voluntarily gave himself over again into the hands of Licinius, and was beheaded by the sword. This occurred on 8 February 319, on a Saturday, at the third hour of the day.
Numerous conflicting legends grew up about the life and martyrdom of St Theodore of Amasea so that, in order to bring some consistency into the stories, it seems to have been assumed that there must have been two different saints, St Theodore Tiron of Amasea and St Theodore Stratelates of Heraclea. The earliest text referring to the two saints is the Laudatio of Niketas David of Paphlagonia in the 9th century. It was said that his christianity led to many conversions in the Roman army, which was the reason that Licinius was so concerned.[1] Christopher Walter treats at length of the relationship between these saints.[2]
It is suggested that Theodore Tiron as a recruit and ordinary foot soldier was viewed by the people of Byzantium as a patron of soldiers of low rank and that the military aristocracy sought a patron of their own rank.[3]
Another possibility is that he was in fact originally derived from a third St Theodore called St Theodore Orientalis from Anatolia.[4]
In art both Theodore of Amasea and Theodore Stratelates are shown with thick black hair and pointed beards. In older works they were often distinguished by the beard having one point for Theodore Tiron of Amasea and two points for Stratelates as clearly shown in the fresco from the Zemen Monastery below.[5]
There is much confusion between them and each of them is sometimes said to have had a shrine at Euchaita in Pontus. In fact the shrine existed before any distinction was made between the saints. The separate shrine of Stratelates was at Euchaneia (the modern Çorum in Turkey), a different place about 35 km west of Eukaita (the modern Avkhat).[6]
However it is now generally accepted, at least in the west, that there was in fact only one St Theodore.[7] Delehaye wrote in 1909 that the existence of the second Theodore had not been historically established[8] and Walter in 2003 wrote that "the Stratelates is surely a fiction".[9]
The patron saint of Venice before the relics of St Mark were (according to tradition) brought to the city in 828 was St Theodore and the Doge's original chapel was dedicated to that saint, though, after the translation of the relics, it was superseded as his chapel by the church of St Mark. This may be either St Theodore of Amasea or St Theodore Stratelates, but the Venetians do not seem to have distinguished between them. See the section on St Theodore and Venice in the article on Theodore of Amasea.
His annual feast day is commemorated on 8 February (21 February N.S.); 7 February in the Latin Rite though this is no longer liturgically celebrated in the Roman Catholic church
One of the few ceramic icons in existence, dated to ca. 900, shows St. Theodore. It was made by the Preslav Literary School and was found 1909 near Preslav, Bulgaria (now National Archaeological Museum, Sofia).
Books
Vol II (February) and XI (November) (1926/38 revised edition) (1995 new full edition)
Notes