Hieromartyr Babylas the Great, Bishop of Antioch, and with Him the Three Youths Urban, Prilidian, and Epolonius, and Their Mother Christodula (3rd c.) — September 4 / September 17 (Julian Calendar)

On this day, September 4 according to the Julian Calendar (September 17 civil calendar), the Georgian Orthodox Church commemorates Hieromartyr Babylas of Antioch.

The Hieromartyr Babylas the Great, Bishop of Antioch, and with him the three youths Urban, Prilidian, and Epolonius, and their mother Christodula, suffered martyrdom in the third century, during a fierce persecution of Christians. Once the impious emperor — according to one account Decius (249–251), according to other sources Numerian (283–284) — after an abominable pagan sacrifice, resolved to attend the Divine Liturgy and defile the church by his entry. When this was reported to the celebrant, the God-fearing hierarch Babylas, he stood in the way of the lawless ruler, struck him on the chest with his right hand, and thus barred him from entering the church. The tyrant wished to take vengeance on the saint on the spot, but fearing the indignation of the multitude of Christians gathered there, he reined in his wicked audacity and returned to the palace.

The next day the emperor ordered the Christian church to be given to the flames and Bishop Babylas to be brought before him. To the lawless emperor’s question — in whose confidence had he dared to insult his dignity and refuse him entry into the church — the blessed father replied: “I did this trusting in no one on earth, but in the King of Heaven, who appointed me shepherd of His sheep and does not permit me to sleep in negligence when a wolf approaches. Therefore I did not insult the emperor, for to do so would be outside the law and not far from madness; rather, I stopped one who was entering to defile and profane the sanctuary.”

The emperor demanded that the holy hierarch worship the idols and thereby redeem his offense; otherwise he threatened him with death. But when he became convinced that the martyr’s firmness was unshakable, he ordered the commander to put the holy father in chains, parade him through the city, “past the theater and in the sight of all,” and so lead him to prison. The tyrant hoped that the saint could not endure being mocked by the crowd. He himself was the first to jeer: how well these fetters and chains become you, “for they suit the graceful movements of your old age!” Blessed Babylas answered: “You speak these words in mockery and flattery, but I am so adorned by them that not even you, O emperor, with all your splendor, your purple, and the brilliance of your crown, can compare.”

Three youths accompanied the holy bishop, “elders in the wisdom of the mind, who eagerly studied the worship of God.” Even in the hardest moments of trial they did not wish to leave their teacher. When the emperor asked who the children were, Babylas replied: “These are my spiritual children; if you test them, you will learn what kind of seeds my words are, and still more, those of God who gave them to us.” Brought before the tyrant, the youths and their mother — Christodula, the faithful handmaid of Christ — indeed displayed astonishing steadfastness. When the autocrat could by no means tempt the saints or induce them to deny Christ, he ordered that their bodies be cut in as many places as each was years old. The eldest of the youths received twelve wounds, the middle one ten, and the youngest seven. When the emperor saw the courage of Christ’s lambs, he gave the order to behead them.