Verse of the day 22

In the Greek Orthodox tradition, February 8 is the traditional feast day of Theodore of Heraclea. According to the legend, Theodore was a renowned warrior who was appointed commander of Heraclea. However, scandalous rumours that he was a Christian reached the Roman emperor Licinius. The emperor then visited Heraclea in person, hoping that he could force Theodore to worship the gods in public, thus drawing the Christians in the city to follow suit. Theodore greeted the emperor with honour and agreed to offer sacrifices to the gods but suggested that he take the emperor’s gold and silver idols back to his own house so that he could attend to them in private before worshiping them publicly the next morning. The emperor was pleased at this, and Theodore took the imperial idols home along with all the gold and silver idols in the city.

That night, Theodore smashed all of the idols and gave the gold and silver to the poor. The next morning, the emperor was horrified to see a pauper walk past with the golden head of the god Artemis. He then had Theodore brought before him, who proclaimed his faith in Christ before the whole city. The emperor was furious and had Theodore tortured and crucified. However, Theodore was found unharmed on the cross the next morning. At the sight of this miracle, many in the city turned to Christianity. Enraged, the emperor had Theodore beheaded on the spot. The day was February 8, 319.