Holy Martyrs Julian, Eustathius, and Acacius — July 28 / August 10 (Julian Calendar)

On this day, July 28 according to the Julian Calendar (August 10 civil calendar), the Georgian Orthodox Church commemorates the Holy Martyrs Julian, Eustathius, and Acacius.

The holy martyr Julian suffered during the reign of Antoninus Pius (138–161) in Italy, in the province of Campania. The governor Flavian had decreed that Christians be sought out and brought before him. At that very time a young Christian named Julian arrived there from Dalmatia and warmly greeted the soldiers he met: “Peace be with you, brothers!” In reply, the blessed one was questioned about his origin and his faith. Seeking suffering and death for the name of the Savior, the young man openly confessed Christ. The soldiers marveled at his courage, yet they seized him and brought him to the governor, saying: “Let us see whether you truly wish to die for the Crucified One!”

Julian fervently prayed that the Lord would grant him strength to endure his torments to the end. His prayer, offered from a pure heart, was heard, and a voice came from on high: “Fear not, Julian; I shall be with you and shall grant you strength and courage!” The blessed youth was cast into prison and kept for seven days without food or water, but an angel of the Lord brought him nourishment and strengthened the confessor.

The governor then ordered that the youth be bound to a tree and scourged. But the lamb of Christ began to pray, and again he heard: “Fear not, Julian; stand firm!” Renewed in spirit, the martyr turned to the crowd gathered around him: “Hearken to me, O wretched ones! Put not your hope in idols made by your own hands, but know the true God, the Creator of heaven and earth!” These words, spoken with wondrous power, converted more than thirty pagans to the faith of Christ. In the morning, when Julian’s tortures were renewed, word spread through the city that the altar of Serapis, together with the idol raised upon it, had crumbled to pieces. All were amazed, while the Christians rejoiced and glorified the true God. The pagans ascribed what had happened to Julian’s sorcery and demanded that his death be hastened. The torturers resolved to slay the lamb of Christ on the site of the shattered altar. Before his end he knelt in prayer and was once more deemed worthy to hear the most sweet heavenly voice, calling him to the Kingdom.

The holy martyr Eustathius was a soldier. For confessing Christ he was seized and brought before the governor of the city of Ancyra. At his interrogation the saint firmly confessed the true faith, for which manifold torments were laid upon him: he was mercilessly beaten, his heels were pierced, and, bound with a rope, he was dragged to the banks of the river Sangarius. There Eustathius was shut in a wooden chest and cast into the water, but an angel of the Lord brought the chest safely to shore. Shaken by this miracle, the governor felt himself defeated, drew his sword, and took his own life. The blessed Eustathius, his soul made radiant, was united to the Lord (c. 316). The martyr’s holy relics were buried in the city of Ancyra.

The holy martyr Acacius was seized and brought to trial for confessing Christ. Three rulers strove in vain to persuade him to offer sacrifice to the idols. The ruler Licinius cruelly tortured the saint and then sent him to the ruler Terentius, at whose command the blessed one was cast into a cauldron filled with boiling pitch and fat, from which he came forth wholly unharmed. The saint was led into a pagan temple, but at his prayer every idol within it was shattered. The chosen one of the Lord was thrown to wild beasts to be devoured, but the beasts would not so much as touch him. He was then cast into a heated furnace and, to the astonishment of all, again suffered no harm. The ruler himself drew near the furnace to see whether it was hot enough, and the wrath of God fell upon the impious man: scorched, he gave up his spirit on the spot. Saint Acacius was then handed over to a certain Posidonius, who bound him in heavy chains and sent him to the city of Miletus. There too the saint, well-pleasing to God, shattered the idols by the power of his prayer. At last the enraged torturers beheaded Acacius (c. 321). The priest Leontius committed his holy remains to the earth in the city of Synnada in Asia Minor.