THE SEVEN YOUTHS OF EPHESIS (IIIc)

Seven Youths of Ephesus- Christian martyrs, walled up alive in a cave and slept there for several centuries. They are also revered in Islam.

Seven Ephesian Youths: Maximilian, Jamblichus, Martinian, John, Dionysius, Exacustodian (Constantine) And Antonin, lived in the 3rd century. Saint Maximilian was the son of the Ephesian mayor, the other six young men were the sons of other noble Ephesian citizens. The young men had been friends since childhood. All were in military service and were Christians.

When Emperor Decius (249-251) arrived in Ephesus, he ordered all citizens to appear to offer sacrifice to the pagan deities; those who disobeyed faced torture and the death penalty. Following the denunciation of those seeking the emperor’s favor, seven Ephesian youths were also called to account. Presenting themselves before the emperor, the holy youths confessed their faith in Christ. Then the emperor ordered the military insignia - military belts - to be removed from them, but nevertheless, he released them, hoping that they would change their minds while he was fighting. The young men left the city and took refuge in a cave on Mount Ohlon, where they spent time in prayer, preparing for the martyrdom. The youngest of them, Saint Jamblichus, dressed in beggar's clothing, went to the city and bought bread. On one of these trips to the city, he heard that their per-ra-tor had returned and they were looking for them to bring them to trial. Saint Max-si-mi-li-an encouraged his friends to come out of the cave and freely appear at the trial.

The holy youths were sentenced to die in their cave - the emperor ordered the entrance to it to be blocked with stones so that the youths would die of thirst and hunger. The two dignitaries who were present at the laying of the entrance were secret Christians and, in order to preserve the memory of the martyrs, they placed in the masonry a reliquary with 2 tin tablets, where the names of the seven youths and the circumstances of their suffering and death were written.

But by the will of God, the youths did not die, but fell asleep in a wonderful sleep that lasted almost two centuries. By that time, the persecution of Christianity had ceased, although under the holy good-faithful Tsar Fe-o-do-siy Young Shem (408-450) heresies appeared, who believed in the resurrection of the dead at the second coming of the Lord. th Jesus Christ. One of them said: “How can there be a resurrection of the dead, when there will be neither soul nor body, since they are annihilated?” Others stated: “Only one soul will have a reward, since it is impossible for those souls to rise and come to life after thousands of years, when not even ashes remain from them.” It was then that the Lord revealed the secret of waiting for the resurrection of the dead and the future life through His seven origins. ro-kov.

The owner of the plot of land on which Mount Okh-lon was located began stone construction, and the workers dismantled sconce the entrance to the pe-sche-ru. The Lord revived the fathers, and they woke up as if from an ordinary sleep, not yet ripe, that almost 200 years had passed . Their bodies and clothes were completely imperishable.

Going to accept mu-che-niya, from-ro-ki po-ru-chi-whether Saint Iam-vli-hu once again buy them bread in the city for strengthening strength. On reaching the city, the young man was amazed and saw the holy cross on the gate. Hearing the freely pronounced Name of Jesus Christ, he began to doubt that he had come to his city. Paying for the bread, the holy father gave the merchant mo-not with the image of him-per-ra-to-ra De- cue and was detained as having hidden a treasure of ancient coins. Saint Iam-vli-kha was brought to the city, who at that time was hosting Ephesus. sky bishop. Listening to the unsmart young men, the bishop realized that God was revealing some kind of secret through him, and he himself Xia together with the na-ro-house to the pe-sche-re. At the entrance to the cave, the bishop took out a sealed forge from a pile of stones and opened it. He read on the tin plates the names of the seven rocks and the surroundings behind the mud-of-the-wall of the cave -nu im-pe-ra-to-ra De-kiya. Entering the cave and seeing the living fathers in it, everyone was delighted and realized that the Lord had awakened them from the valleys. The Church's dream reveals the secret of the resurrection of the dead.

Soon the emperor himself arrived in Ephesus and talked with the young men in the cave. Then the saints, in front of everyone, bowed their heads to the ground and fell asleep again, this time until the general resurrection -se-niya. The emperor wanted each of the saints to live in a precious shell, but, having appeared to him in a dream, the saints Ro-ki said that their bodies should be left in a cave on the ground.

The remains of an ancient Christian temple, built on the site of a cave in which the Ephesian youths miraculously slept and awakened

The legend of the seven Ephesian youths spread widely in Asia Minor and Syria. Thanks to its Eastern origin, the legend is also popular in the Muslim world - it is used by Muhammad in the Koran - the “Cave” narrative of the 18th sura. The sura tells about the youths who fell asleep in a cave. This story is confusing and difficult to understand. The sleep period is 309 years. There are no indications in the text about the specific place of sleep of the youths. The names of the youths are given in the comments of At-Tabari, who indicates that there were six youths, and they did military service in Syria (which is why their cave is in Amman, and not in Ephesus). The location of the cave is not clearly stated in the Koran. The Seven Sleepers were considered patrons of navigation in the Ottoman Empire.

In the 12th century, the Russian pilgrim abbot Da-ni-il mentions the youths in his “Walk” to the Holy Land. After visiting Ephesus, he wrote in his book: “And there is a cave where lie the bodies of the 7 youths who slept for 300 and 60 years; under Decius the kings were successful, and under Theodosius the kings appeared.”

The Orthodox Church commemorates the Seven Youths twice: August 4 And 22 of October(according to the Julian calendar).

The Seven Youths of Ephesus: Maximilian, Jamblichus, Martinian, John, Dionysius, Exacustodian (Constantine) and Antoninus (from the Cartoon Calendar cycle)

Prayer to the Holy Seven Youths in Ephesus
Oh, most wonderful holy seventh generation, praise to the city of Ephesus and the hope of the whole universe! Look from the heights of heavenly glory at us, who honor your memory with love, especially at the Christian infants, entrusted to your intercession by their parents: bring down upon her the blessing of Christ God, saying: leave the children to come to Me: heal the sick in them, comfort the sorrowful; Keep their hearts pure, fill them with meekness, and in the soil of their hearts plant and strengthen the seed of the confession of God, so that they may grow to the best of their ability; and all of us, who stand before your holy icon, kissing your relics with faith and praying warmly to you, vouchsafe to enhance the Kingdom of Heaven and glorify there with silent voices of joy the magnificent name of the Most Holy Trinity, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. A min.

Troparion of the Seven Youths of Ephesus, tone 4
A miracle of great faith,/ in a cave, as in the royal devil,/ the seven holy youths lived,/ and died without aphids,/ and after many times rose, as if from a dream,/ for the assurance of the resurrection of all people.// Those through the prayers, Christ God , have mercy on us.

Kontakion of the Seven Youths of Ephesus, tone 4
The present corruptible world has despised / and accepted the incorruptible gifts, / having died, except for the corruption that has passed. / And after many years they have risen, / all have buried the fierce unbelief, / even in praise today, faithfully, praising, / Let us praise Christ.

When an inexperienced person reads the Chetyi-Minea, he can often doubt the truth of what is written. But it is unlikely that it will be possible to question what is written about the seven youths of Ephesus. This story has undeniable confirmation: it is written on the tablets of those times.

A miracle is something out of the ordinary. Something that defies logical explanation and cannot be proven by scientists.

Skeptics sometimes manage to explain some of them based on convincing (at first glance) evidence. In some cases, this evidence “does not work.” Such miracles include the dream of the 7 youths who lived in Ephesus.

The wonderful dream of the youths of Ephesus

The Ephesian youths fell asleep in the middle of the 3rd century AD. e., during the reign of the Roman emperor Decius Trajan, who was not in power for long. But his short reign left a significant mark on the history of the ancient world, as it marked the beginning of the systematic persecution of Christians.

Yes, they fell asleep in the 3rd century. But they woke up only 200 years later, when Emperor Theodosius the Younger, a true Christian, was in power. Their awakening was a “voice from above.”

The Awakening of the Youths or the Revelation of God

The awakening of the youths of Ephesus is truly a miracle, since it was a real resurrection from the dead, because in 250 they died, thus avoiding martyrdom.

And their awakening coincided with the emergence of heresy, which was spread by Bishop Theodore. The bishop denied the possibility of resurrection. Emperor Theodosius prayed. I prayed for a long time. The awakening of the youths was an answer to his prayer.

The young man who found the treasure

A young man was brought to the emperor who wanted to pay in the market with coins that were 200 years old. This young man was Jamblichus, whom his friends sent to the city to buy bread. He was extremely surprised to see a cross on the city gates. Having overcome his confusion, he nevertheless entered the city, which had changed enormously.

Chance helped

During the showdown, a proconsul passed by and hurried to the bishop. It was he who took the young man to the emperor. There, after all the circumstances were clarified, the truth became clear. But who will confirm it?

At this time, Adatius, the owner of the land where there was a cave that hid the young men, was extracting stones from this cave, and the workers found among the stones an ancient reliquary with two tablets. And on the tablets is the story of the seven youths, the story of their burial.

Who were the Ephesian youths

The Ephesian Youths, seven young men, were the children of noble citizens of Ephesus. The eldest, Maximilian, was the son of a prefect. Families professed Christianity, but secretly, since Christians were persecuted.

The young men were friends and spent a lot of time together. The eldest was Maximilian, the youngest was Jamblichus. The names of the others: , Dionysius, Martinian, (Exacustodian) and Antoninus.

All of them had a military rank, which was marked with a special sign - a belt.

Hilt

In those days, this amazingly beautiful ancient city was subordinate to Roman rulers. The city of Artemis, the goddess of fertility, was the center of paganism. The temples were alive, sacrifices were made on them and pagan gods were worshiped. On special days, the rites were led by the emperor himself.

III century, Decius

This is exactly what happened in 250 when Decius visited Ephesus. The emperor ordered all residents to appear at the temple to make a sacrifice. Christians faced a painful death for disobedience.

“Human, all too human, is something animal.” Cruelty was boundless, meanness ruled in those days. Trying to earn the favor of the emperor, some townspeople sought out secret Christians and reported them to the authorities. There was also a report about 7 youths.

Before the Emperor

And so the seven young men appeared before the emperor. They appeared and confessed Christ out loud. To appear merciful, Decius (Decius Trajan) released them, removing his military insignia. He gave them time to think while he left the city. They will have to make sacrifices a little later, when he returns.

Decius left Ephesus, and the seven young men hid in a cave to pray. Denying Christ was impossible; how would they endure the torment?

The younger Jamblichus, dressing in beggar clothes, sometimes went to the city to buy bread. During fervent prayer, they fell asleep, as it turned out, for 200 years. But it was a real success.

Emperor's Wrath

Upon his return, Emperor Decius sent envoys for the youths, but they did not find them. The angry emperor made enough efforts to find the shelter of the youths. Having discovered a cave, he ordered it to be walled up. His servants Varv and Theodore, who were also Christians, were obliged to do this.

It was they who wrote down this story on lead tablets, which they buried in a reliquary. The cave was walled up, and evidence was left among the stones for posterity.

Theodosius the Younger

200 years later, after Emperor Theodosius was convinced of the truth of the words of the youths (they woke up unexpectedly while extracting stone from a cave), he knelt before them and announced to the people the possibility of resurrection. The heresy of Bishop Theodore was trampled upon.

After the conversation with the emperor, the young men fell asleep again, bowing their heads to the ground. But this was their last, eternal dream. The emperor ordered them to be buried in golden sarcophagi, but after seven youths appeared to him in a dream, he left them in the same cave. The relics of the seven youths remain there today.

In what cases do they pray for help?

You can pray to all the saints for any need, it depends on your attitude towards the shrine. But this does not detract from the deep petition to each saint. Many prayers addressed to the holy youths have been written. Here is one of them:

Young parents most often pray to the Seven Youths, that is, first of all they pray to them for their children, especially for those who sleep poorly.

Cave

Time erases many traces, and the trail to the cave is lost. Today they argue about which of the ancient caves is the one in which the youths fell asleep. Although the grotto at Ephesus still exists today, many details point to a cave in Jordan (Amman).

Numerous pilgrims flock to Ephesus, many of whom are Muslims.

Earlier, in the 12th century, its location was still obvious, since a record was left about one pilgrimage. This is a recording of Abbot Daniel, who saw the holy relics.

Memorial Days

The holy youths are honored three times a year: August 4, September 1 and October 22. On September 1, the youths are only mentioned at the service; the other two days are considered the day of their dormition.

In the days of the wicked Roman king Decius 1, the Church of Christ was persecuted, and many of Christ’s servants - clergy, clergy and other faithful, fearing a merciless tormentor, were forced to hide wherever they could. When, burning with hatred of Christians, Decius came from Carthage 2 to Ephesus 3, he first of all ordered the inhabitants of the surrounding area to gather to make sacrifices to idols.

Blinded by his pride, the king placed idols in the middle of the city, setting up altars in front of them; together with the king, by his command, the city authorities were to make sacrifices on them first.

During this nationwide festive sacrifice, the earth was filled with blood and the air was filled with stench and smoke: so many animals were slaughtered and burned. Two days later, the king issued an order to gather all Christians and force them to sacrifice to idols.

They began to look for Christians everywhere: they were pulled out of houses and caves, united into one crowd and brought with dishonor to the square where people gathered and made sacrifices. Some of the followers of Christ, who did not have spiritual strength, fearing the impending torment, fell away from the faith and worshiped idols in front of everyone.

Other Christians, who were either eyewitnesses or heard about such actions on the part of their fellow believers, grieved their souls, mourning their falling away from Christ and falling into idolatry; those who were firm in faith and strong in spirit fearlessly went to torment and, dying from various tortures, courageously laid down their souls for their Lord.

There were such a great number of those who were tortured that their blood, flowing out when wounds were inflicted and bones were crushed, poured onto the ground like water, the bodies of the martyrs were either thrown like rubbish along the road, or were hung all around on the city walls, and their heads were placed on special stakes in front of the city gate; crows, hawks and other carnivorous birds flocked to the walls and devoured the bodies of those who died for the faith.

For hidden and hiding Christians, it was a great sadness that it was impossible to take and bury the bodies of the brothers, which were eaten by birds; Raising their hands to heaven, they sobbed and prayed to the Lord that He would deliver His church from such torment.

At this time there were seven youths in Ephesus, they were the sons of respected city leaders and served in the army, their names are as follows: Maximilian, Jamblichus, Martinian, John, Dionysius, Exacustodian and Antoninus.

Not being bound by ties of physical kinship, they were bound by ties of spiritual kinship - by the faith and love of Christ; They prayed and fasted together, crucifying themselves with Christ through mortification of the flesh and strict observance of chastity. Seeing the constant oppression and cruel executions of Christians, they lamented in their souls and could not restrain themselves from tears and sighs. — When the pagans, together with the king, went to make a sacrifice, the holy youths turned away from them; Having arrived at the Christian church, they threw themselves on the ground before the Lord and, having sprinkled dust on their heads, sent tearful prayers to Him.

Such actions on their part did not escape the gaze of some people (at that time everyone watched his friend, which god he prayed to, and brother brother, father son, father son betrayed to death; no one hid his neighbor if he noticed that he prays to Christ). They immediately went to the king and said:

- King, live forever! You call Christians from afar, urging them to make sacrifices, and meanwhile those around you neglect your royal power and, not listening to your commands, violate them, adhering to the Christian faith.

The angry king asked who exactly was opposing his commands. The informers said:

- Maximilian, the son of the city ruler, and six other youths, sons of noble Ephesian citizens; all of them already have significant military ranks.

The king immediately ordered them to be seized, chained and brought to him. The holy youths were soon brought to the king with their eyes still wet from tears and with traces of dust on their heads. Looking at them, the torturer said:

“Why didn’t you come with us to the festival in honor of the gods whom the whole universe worships?” Go now and, like others, offer the due sacrifice to the gods.

Saint Maximilian answered:

“We confess the One God and Heavenly King, who filled heaven and earth with His glory, and every hour we offer a spiritual sacrifice of faith and prayer to Him, but to your idols, so as not to defile our souls, we will not offer sacrifices consisting of the burning of animals, accompanied by stench and smoke.

After such an answer, the king ordered to take away from the young men their military belts, a sign of their high position:

“You are not worthy,” he said, “to serve in the king’s army, for you obey neither him nor the gods.”

However, seeing their beauty and youth, the king took pity on them and said:

“It would be merciless to immediately consign such young people to torment,” therefore, beautiful young men, I give you time to think, so that you, having come to your senses, make a sacrifice to the gods and, thus, save your life.

Then he ordered the chains to be removed from them and released before the appointed time, and he himself retired to another city, intending to return to Ephesus again.

The holy youths, following the teachings of Christ, used the free time given to them by the king for good deeds: taking gold and silver from their parents’ house, they distributed it secretly and openly to the poor. At the same time, they consulted with each other, saying:

“Let us leave the city for a while, until the king returns to it, we will go to that large cave, which is located in the mountain to the east of the city, and there, remaining in silence, we will fervently pray to the Lord to grant us strength during the upcoming confession of His holy name, so that we can, fearlessly appearing to the tormentor, courageously endure suffering and receive from our Lord Christ the unfading crown of glory prepared for the faithful slaves.

Thus, having agreed among themselves, they went to the eastern mountain, known by the name Ohlon, taking with them as much silver as was needed to buy food for several days. Arriving at a cave located in the mountain, they stayed in it for quite a long time, constantly praising God and praying for the salvation of their souls.

Going to the city to buy what was needed was entrusted to Saint Jamblichus, as the youngest. Saint Jamblichus, a very intelligent youth, going to the city, changed his clothes to rags so that he would not be recognized; From the money he took with him, he separated part of it to distribute to the poor, and with the rest he bought food.

On one of these visits to the city, Saint Jamblichus, hiding his name, found out exactly when and how soon the king would return. After a sufficient time, Saint Jamblichus, under the guise of a beggar, came into the city and himself saw the entry of the king who had returned from the path and heard his command announced in the city that all the city governors and military leaders the next morning should prepare to make sacrifices to the gods - such a zealous pagan was tsar.

In addition, Jamblichus heard that the king ordered to find them, who were released for a while, so that they, together with other citizens, in his presence, would offer sacrifices to idols. The frightened Jamblichus, grabbing some bread, hurried to the brothers in the cave; here he told them everything he had seen and heard, and also informed them that they were already looking for them to make sacrifices.

This news brought them into fear: falling to the ground weeping and groaning, they prayed to God, entrusting themselves to His protection and mercy. Rising from prayer, Saint Jamblichus prepared a meal, which consisted of a small amount of brought bread; It was already evening and the sun was setting; Having sat down, the holy youths fortified themselves with food, awaiting the upcoming torment. Having finished their meager meal, they talked among themselves, encouraging and encouraging each other to courageously endure suffering for Christ.

During this soul-saving conversation, they began to feel sleepy: their eyes became heavy from heartfelt sadness. The merciful and philanthropic Lord, always caring for His church and His faithful servants, commanded the seven holy youths to fall asleep in a wondrous and extraordinary sleep, wishing in the future to show a wondrous miracle and assure those who doubted about the resurrection of the dead. The saints fell asleep in the sleep of death, their souls were kept in the hand of God, and their bodies lay incorruptible and unchanged, like those of those sleeping.

In the morning, the king ordered to find the seven noble youths, and after a vain search he said to the nobles:

“I feel sorry for the young men, because they were from a noble family and were distinguished by their beauty, I think that, fearing our anger, they ran away somewhere and are hiding, although, out of our mercy, we are ready to spare those who, having repented, again turn to to the gods.

The nobles responded to this:

- Do not be sad, king, about these young men; those who oppose you and the gods: we heard that they not only did not repent, but became even the worst blasphemers of the gods; Having distributed a lot of gold and silver to the city beggars, they disappeared without a trace. If you allow, you can call on their parents and force them by torture to reveal the place where their sons are.

The king, without delay, ordered to call the parents of the holy youths and said to them:

- Tell me, without hiding, where are your sons who disgraced my kingdom? Instead of them, I will order you to be destroyed: after all, you gave them gold and silver and sent them somewhere so that they would not appear before our face.

The parents answered:

- We resort to your mercy, king! Listen to us without anger: we do not plot intrigues against your kingdom, we never violate your commands and constantly make sacrifices to the gods - why do you threaten us with death? If our sons were corrupted, then we did not teach them this, we did not give them gold and silver; They themselves secretly took it and, distributing it to the poor, ran away and hid, according to rumors that have reached us, in the great cave of Mount Ohlon. Many days have passed, but they still haven’t returned: we don’t know whether they are alive there or not.

The king, having listened, released the parents, and then ordered the entrance to the cave to be blocked with stones, saying:

“Since they did not repent, did not turn to the gods and did not appear to me, then from now on let them no longer see the human face and perish from hunger and thirst in a cave littered with stones.”

The king and the inhabitants of Ephesus thought that the youths were still alive, not knowing that they had already gone to the Lord. While they were sealing the entrance to the cave, two of the royal bed-guards Theodore and Rufinus, secret Christians, described on two tin tablets the sufferings of the seven holy youths, reporting their names, then they put these tablets in a copper box and placed the latter among the stones laid in the cave passage: if, they thought, the Lord will visit His servants before His glorious coming, and the cave will someday be opened, and the bodies of the saints will be found, then, according to our description, they will learn about their names and deeds and understand that these bodies are bodies of martyrs who died in a blocked cave for the confession of Christ. So the entrance to the cave was blocked, and a seal was hung on it.

Soon after this, the wicked Decius died. After him there were many other wicked kings who also persecuted the Church of God, until the time of Christian kings began with Constantine the Great 4. In the days of the pious Tsar Theodosius the Younger, 5 when quite a long time had passed since the death of Constantine the Great, heretics appeared who denied the resurrection of the dead, although the Lord Jesus Christ conveyed a clear teaching about this to His Church, destroying all doubt.

And yet many doubted, and not only the laity, but even some bishops became followers of the heresy. On the part of the nobles and bishops who had deviated into heresy—of the latter, Bishop Theodore of Yegin especially stood out—a strong persecution arose against the Orthodox. Some of the heretics said that beyond the grave people cannot count on reward, for after death not only the body, but also the soul is destroyed, while others argued that souls will have their own reward - some bodies will decay and perish.

“How,” they said, “can these bodies rise up after entire millennia, when even their very dust is no longer there?”

This is how the heretics thought, in their wickedness forgetting the words of Christ in the Gospel: “The dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and having heard, they will live” (John 5:25), they also forgot what was written by the prophet Daniel: “Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth will awaken, only for eternal life, others for everlasting reproach and shame" (Dan. 12:2), - and the prophet Ezekiel, speaking on behalf of God: "Behold, I will open your graves and bring you, My people, out of your graves" (Ezek. 37:12). Not remembering this teaching of the Holy Scriptures, the heretics caused great unrest in the Church of God. They brought great sadness to Tsar Theodosius: he earnestly prayed to God, with fasting and tears, that He, the Creator of everything, would deliver His church from the destructive heresy.

The merciful Lord, not wanting anyone to perish in the truths of faith, heard the prayer of the king and the tearful lamentations of many faithful and clearly revealed the secret of the expected resurrection of the dead and eternal life.

By the action of Divine providence, the following happened. A certain man named Adolius, the owner of Mount Ohlon, where the sleeping youths lived in a fenced-off cave, having free space on the mountain, wanted to make a fence there for the sheep. During its construction, slaves took stones with which the entrance to the cave was blocked; completely unaware that there was a cave in the mountain, they thought that the stones formed a natural part of the mountain.

Cutting off the stones and carrying them to the place of work, they formed a hole at the mouth of the cave into which a person could freely crawl. At this time, our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of life and death, who once raised up Lazarus of four days (John 11:39, 43-44), raised up those who had been sleeping for many years (about two hundred) and seven holy youths: according to His Divine command, the holy martyrs resurrected, as if awakening from sleep.

Having risen, they first of all offered the morning praise to the Lord, after which, according to custom, they greeted each other. It seemed to them that they had awakened from an ordinary night's sleep, because nothing indicated to them an awakening from death: their clothes were completely intact, their appearance had not changed at all - they still bloomed with health and beauty; everything involuntarily led the holy youths to the thought that they had fallen asleep yesterday, and now, in the morning, they woke up.

Having entered into a conversation with each other, they recalled with sadness the persecution of Christians and the fact that they had to go to the city by order of the king, who commanded them to make sacrifices to idols; they were sure that Decius was looking for them to torture. Turning to Saint Jamblichus. they asked him to tell again what he had heard in the city. Saint Jamblichus answered:

“What I told you yesterday, I will tell you today: the king ordered all citizens to be ready for sacrifice on this day, and at the same time ordered them to look for us so that we, together with everyone else, would bow to idols before his eyes, and if we don’t do this, then he will give us over to torment.

Then Saint Maximilian said, addressing everyone:

- Brothers, let us go out and appear fearlessly before Decius: how long will we sit here like the faint-hearted? Let us go out and without fear before the king of the earth we confess the King of heaven, the true God, our Lord Jesus Christ, and for the glory of His holy name we will shed our blood, let us lay down our souls, we will not be afraid of the tormentor and the torment of mortals: they cannot deprive us of eternal life, which we wait by faith in Christ Jesus. You, brother Jamblichus, take care of preparing food for us at the usual time, take a piece of silver and go to the city, there buy more bread than yesterday - you brought little yesterday, and we are hungry now; Find out what Decius ordered regarding us and return as soon as possible, so that, having refreshed ourselves with food, we can leave here of our own free will and surrender ourselves to torture.

Saint Jamblichus took the piece of silver and went to the city; It was very early, just beginning to dawn.

Coming out of the cave, Saint Jamblichus, to his surprise, saw stones; what does it mean, he thought, when they are laid? They weren't here yesterday. Having descended from the mountain, he walked with fear, fearing to enter the city, where he could be recognized and brought to the king. Approaching the city gates, Saint Jamblichus with great amazement noticed on them an honest Cross, a beautiful piece of art.

And wherever he turned his gaze, everywhere with the same amazement he noticed other buildings, dwellings and walls. Saint Jamblichus went to another gate of the city and there, with bewilderment, he saw an image of the honorable Cross placed on the wall; he walked around all the gates of the city and saw the Holy Crosses everywhere. From bewilderment, Saint Jamblichus was close to madness. Returning again to the first gate, he thought: what does this mean?

Yesterday there were no images of the venerable Cross anywhere except those that were secretly kept by the faithful, and now they are openly placed on the gates and walls of the city, do I really see them or does it just seem to me? Am I in a dream? Encouraged, he entered the city. Having walked a little, Saint Jamblichus heard that many were swearing by the name of Christ. He was horrified, thinking: yesterday no one dared to openly pronounce the name of Christ, but now I hear it from many lips; Apparently, this is not Ephesus, but some other city, and the buildings are different and the people are wearing completely different clothes. Continuing his way, he asked one person:

- What's the name of this town?

“Ephesus,” he answered.

Saint Jamblichus did not believe it and still thought: without a doubt I ended up in some other city, I need to quickly buy bread and hurry to leave the city so as not to completely get lost. Approaching the bread seller, he took out a piece of silver and gave it to him to pay for the bread and stopped, waiting for the purchase and change.

The piece of silver was very large and had an inscription and image of the most ancient kings on it. The seller took the piece of silver and showed it to another, he gave it to the third, and this one to the fourth; others who were present also came up; looking at the piece of silver, everyone was amazed at its antiquity and, examining Saint Jamblichus, they said in each other’s ears:

“This youth must have found some treasure hidden in ancient times.”

Saint Jamblichus, noticing their whispers, was frightened, thinking that they had recognized him and were conspiring to capture him and present him to King Decius.

“Please,” he said, “take yourself a piece of silver: I don’t want change from it.”

But those around them grabbed Saint Jamblichus and, holding him back, said:

“Tell us where you come from and how you found the treasure from the times of the ancient kings, give us a part, and we will not tell about you, and if you do not agree to share it with us, we will hand you over to the judge.”

Hearing this, Saint Jamblichus was surprised and, perplexed, remained silent. They continued:

“You can’t hide this treasure anymore, tell me where it is, it’s better to do it of your own free will, until torture forces you to do it.”

Saint Jamblichus did not know what to tell them, and remained silent like a mute. Then the men took off his belt and, putting it around his neck, held him in the middle of the market square; A rumor spread among the people that some youth who had found a treasure had been captured. Saint Jamblichus was surrounded by a large crowd; everyone looked at his face, saying: he is not from here, we have never seen him before.

Saint Jamblichus, although he wanted to say that he had not found any treasure, was unable to say a single word from great amazement; he looked at the crowd, trying to find someone he knew or someone at home - father, mother or slave. Not finding or recognizing anyone, he was even more surprised: yesterday everyone knew him as the son of a noble man, but today not only does no one recognize him, but he himself does not find any of his acquaintances.

The rumor that spread throughout the city about the capture of Saint Jamblichus reached the head of the city and Bishop Stephen 6: according to God's providence, both of them were together at that time and were having a conversation with each other; Both of them ordered the young man captured with the piece of silver to be brought to them.

During the journey, Saint Jamblichus thought that he was being led to King Decius, and he looked even more diligently at the people, hoping to see someone he knew, but all his expectations were in vain. When he was brought to the head of the city and the bishop, they took the piece of silver and, looking at it, marveled, since it belonged to the time of very ancient kings. Then the chief of the city asked Saint Jamblichus:

-Where is the treasure you found? Of course, you took this piece of silver from there.

“I don’t know any treasure,” answered Saint Jamblichus, “I only know that it was taken by me from my parents and is no different from the usual pieces of silver used in this city.” I am surprised and perplexed as to what is happening to me.

- Where are you from? - asked the mayor.

The saint answered:

— I think it’s from this city.

The mayor said to this:

- Whose son are you? Is there anyone here who knows you? Then let him come and testify to the justice of your words, and we will let you go.

Saint Jamblichus named his father, mother, grandfather, brothers and other relatives by name; no one knew them.

“You’re not telling the truth,” the mayor objected, “you’re calling some strange and extraordinary names that we’ve never heard of.”

The holy youth was silent in bewilderment, lowering his head; some of those present said:

- He's a holy fool.

“No, he only pretends to be like that in order to avoid trouble,” answered others.

The mayor angrily began to threaten Saint Jamblichus:

“How can we believe you when you say that you took this piece of silver from among others used by your parents?” After all, the image and inscription of the ancient king Decius, after whose death many years have passed, are not silent, and the silver coin is not at all similar to those that are in use today. Are your parents really so old that they remember King Decius and have his pieces of silver? You are still young, not thirty years old, and you want to deceive the elders and wise men of Ephesus with your cunning. I will throw you into prison, punish you and not let you go until you tell the truth and reveal where the treasure you found is.

During this speech of the mayor, Saint Jamblichus, on the one hand, was afraid of his threats, on the other hand, he was surprised at the words that Decius was in ancient times; falling to his knees, he said:

“I beg you, my gentlemen, answer me what I ask you, and I myself will tell you everything without coercion: is King Decius in the city, is he alive or not?”

The bishop answered him:

“At the present time, my son, there is no king named Decius in this country; in former years, in ancient times, there really was such a king; now the pious Theodosius reigns.

Then Saint Jamblichus said:

“I beg you, come with me and I will show you my friends in the cave of Mount Ohlon, from whom you will be convinced of the justice of what I said.” Indeed, running away from Decius, we left here a few days ago and hid in that cave; I saw Decius yesterday when he entered Ephesus, but now I don’t know whether it’s Ephesus or some other city.

The bishop, reflecting, said to himself:

“God wants to reveal some secret through this young man.”

“Let’s go with him,” he turned to the mayor, and let’s see: something wonderful is about to happen.

The bishop and the mayor got up and went with the young man, followed by all the city authorities and many people. When the procession reached the mountain, Saint Jamblichus was the first to enter the cave, and the bishop, following him with the others, found at the entrance to the cave, between two stones, a copper box with two silver seals; Having opened the box in front of everyone, the bishop and the mayor found two tin tablets in it, in which it was written that the seven holy youths - Maximilian, the son of the city governor, Iamblichus, Martinian, John, Dionysius, Exacustodian and Antoninus, fled from King Decius and hid in this cave; By order of Decius, the entrance to the cave was blocked with stones, and the holy youths died a martyr’s death in it for Christ. After this reading, everyone was amazed and loudly glorified God.

Entering the cave, they found the holy youths blooming with beauty; their faces expressed joy and shone with the light of God’s grace; the bishop, the mayor and the people fell at the feet of the holy youths, giving praise to God, who had vouchsafed them to see such a glorious miracle. The holy youths told them everything about themselves, about Decius, - what the persecution of Christians was like under him. Immediately the bishop and the mayor sent a letter to the blessed Tsar Theodosius, asking him to send honest men to see the miracle revealed by the Lord during his reign:

- For, they wrote, in our days the Lord showed in the resurrection of the bodies of the holy youths the image of the future general resurrection of not only the soul, but also the body.

King Theodosius, having received the news, came into great joy and immediately, accompanied by nobles and a multitude of people, hurried from Constantinople to Ephesus, where he was greeted solemnly, as befitted his high position.

The bishop, the mayor and other city authorities led the king to the cave. When Theodosius, penetrating inside the cave, saw the holy youths like angels, he fell at their feet, and they, stretching out their hands, lifted him from the ground. Rising, the king lovingly embraced the holy youths and, kissing them, could not refrain from tears, then, sitting down opposite them on the ground, he looked at them with tenderness and praised God:

“My gentlemen,” he said, “in your face I see the very King and Lord of my Christ, who once raised Lazarus from the tomb: now He has raised you up with His all-powerful word, in order to clearly announce to us the coming resurrection of the dead, when those in the tombs, Having heard the voice of the Son of God, they will live and come out of them incorruptible.

Saint Maximilian said to the king:

- From now on, your kingdom will be indestructible for the firmness of your faith, and Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God (cf. Matt. 16:16), will preserve it in His Holy Name from all evil; believe that for your sake the Lord raised us up before the day of the general resurrection.

During a rather lengthy conversation, the holy youths told the king many other soul-saving truths, and the king with the bishop, nobles and people listened to them with spiritual joy (The Greek describer of church events Nicephorus Callistus adds that the king shared a meal with them every day for a week and served them).

After these interviews, the holy youths, in front of everyone who enjoyed seeing them, again bowed their heads to the ground and fell asleep, by God’s command, in the sleep of death. The king wept heavily over them, and everyone present could not hold back their tears.

The king ordered seven tombs to be prepared from silver and gold in order to place the bodies of the holy youths in them. That same night they appeared in a dream to the king, commanding him not to touch them, but to leave them to rest on the earth, as they had rested before. At the place of the dormition of the holy youths, a host of saints gathered, who, having created a bright holiday, worthily honored the holy martyrs. The king distributed generous alms to the poor and wretched of that country, released those in prison, after which he joyfully returned to Constantinople, glorifying Christ our God, to Him and from us sinners be honor and glory with the Father and the Holy Spirit now and ever and forever and ever. Amen 7.

Troparion, tone 4:

Great miracle of faith, in a cave like in the royal devil,
the holy seven youths passed away and died without aphids:
and after many times I rose as if from sleep,
in assurance of the resurrection of all people.
Through those prayers, Christ God, have mercy on us.

Kontakion, tone 4:

The present corruptible world has been despised, and the incorruptible gifts have been accepted,
Those who died, except for corruption, endured: and they rise again after many years,
everything has been buried by fierce unbelief: even in the praise of faithfulness today, praising,
Let us praise Christ.

1 Decius - Emperor 249-251.

2 Carthage is a city on the northern coast of Africa, which gave its name to the great Western Phoenician state that it founded, which was for a long time a rival of Rome, until it in 146 BC. did not become a province of Rome.

3 Ephesus is the main city of Iconium in Asia Minor near the mouth of the Caistrus, the focus of all trade in Anterior Asia in ancient times. It was famous for the Temple of Artemis - Diana.

4 Constantine Veliki - Roman emperor, son of Constantius Chlorus, ruler of the western part of the Roman Empire, and Helen, born in 274. Constantine the Great is remarkable for his activities for the benefit of the Church of Christ; It is for this very activity that history calls him great, and the church calls him equal to the apostles. Not wanting to stay in Rome, where paganism was especially strong, Constantine the Great moved the capital to Byzantium; here he destroyed idols and decorated the city with Christian churches. In 337 he was baptized, after which he soon died at the age of 65. In the 5th century the church canonized Constantine the Great; His memory is on May 21.

5 Theodosius II - Emperor 408-450.

6 According to other, more reliable news, the event described took place under Stephen's predecessor, St. Memnone, whose memory is December 16.

7 This wonderful story has very strong, irrefutable evidence of its authenticity: a contemporary describer of this event, St. John Kolov (d. c. 422 or in the 1st half of the 5th century) speaks of this event in the life of Paisius the Great on June 19; the Syrian writer, Orthodox Bishop of Sarugen (in Mesopotamia) Jacob left a description of this event; it was known in translation to Gregory of Tours (d. 594). Syrians - Maronites, in the 7th century. those who separated from the Orthodox Church honor the holy youths in their service; they are found in the Ethiopian calendar and ancient Roman martyrologies.; their story was known to Mohammed and many Arab writers. The Cave of the Youths is still visible near Ephesus in the ribs of Mount Priona. The last news about their relics dates back to the 12th century, when our pilgrim to holy places, Abbot Daniel, saw them. The further fate of the honest relics is unknown.

The Holy Seven Youths of Ephesus: Maximilian, Jamblichus, Martinian, John, Dionysius, Exacustodian (Constantine) and Antoninus

The Seven Ephesian Youths: Maximilian, Jamblichus, Martinian, John, Dionysius, Exacustodian (Constantine) and Antoninus, lived in the 3rd century. Saint Maximilian was the son of the Ephesian mayor, the other six young men were the sons of other noble Ephesian citizens. The young men had been friends since childhood, and all were in military service. When Emperor Decius (249-251) arrived in Ephesus, he ordered all citizens to appear to offer sacrifice to the pagan deities; those who disobeyed faced torture and the death penalty. Following the denunciation of those seeking the emperor’s favor, the seven Ephesian youths were also called to account. Presenting themselves before the emperor, the holy youths confessed their faith in Christ. They were immediately stripped of their military insignia - military belts. However, Decius released them, hoping that they would change their minds while he was on the campaign. The young men left the city and hid in a cave on Mount Ohlon, where they spent time in prayer, preparing for martyrdom. The youngest of them, Saint Jamblichus, dressed in beggar's rags, went to the city and bought bread. On one of these trips to the city, he heard that the emperor had returned and they were looking for them to present them to the court. Saint Maximilian inspired his friends to leave the cave and voluntarily appear for trial. Having learned where the youths were hiding, the emperor ordered to block the entrance to the cave with stones. so that the youths would die in it from hunger and thirst. Two of the dignitaries present at the walling up of the cave entrance were secret Christians. Wanting to preserve the memory of the saints, they placed a sealed reliquary among the stones, which contained two tin tablets. The names of the seven youths and the circumstances of their suffering and death were written on them.

But the Lord brought a wonderful dream to the youths, which lasted almost two centuries. By that time, the persecution of Christians had ceased, although under the holy, blessed king Theodosius the Younger (408-450), heretics appeared who rejected the resurrection of the dead at the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Some of them said: “How can there be a resurrection of the dead when there will be neither soul nor body, since they will be destroyed?” Others argued: “Only souls will have reward, since it is impossible for bodies to rise and come to life after a thousand years, when not even ashes remain of them.” It was then that the Lord revealed the secret of the expected resurrection of the dead and the future life through His seven youths.

The owner of the plot of land on which Mount Ohlon was located began stone construction, and workers dismantled the entrance to the cave. The Lord revived the youths, and they woke up as if from an ordinary dream, not suspecting that almost 200 years had passed. Their bodies and clothes were completely incorruptible. Preparing to accept torment, the youths instructed Saint Jamblichus to once again buy them bread in the city to strengthen their strength. Approaching the city, the young man was amazed to see the holy cross on the gate. Hearing the freely pronounced Name of Jesus Christ, he began to doubt that he had come to his city. While paying for the bread, the holy youth gave the merchant a coin with the image of Emperor Decius and was detained as having hidden a treasure of ancient coins. Saint Jamblichus was brought to the mayor, who at that time had the bishop of Ephesus. Listening to the young man’s perplexed answers, the bishop realized that God was revealing some secret through him, and he himself went with the people to the cave. At the entrance to the cave, the bishop took out a sealed reliquary from a pile of stones and opened it. He read on the tin tablets the names of the seven youths and the circumstances of the walling up of the cave by order of Emperor Decius. Entering the cave and seeing the living youths in it, everyone rejoiced and realized that the Lord, through awakening them from a long sleep, was revealing to the Church the secret of the resurrection of the dead. Soon the emperor himself arrived in Ephesus and talked with the young men in the cave. Then the holy youths, in front of everyone, bowed their heads to the ground and fell asleep again, this time until the general resurrection. The emperor wanted to place each of the youths in a precious shrine, but, appearing to him in a dream, the holy youths said that their bodies should be left in a cave on the ground. In the 12th century, the Russian pilgrim Abbot Daniel saw these holy relics of the seven youths in a cave.

In 250, Emperor Decius left Constantinople for the East. Stopping in Ephesus, he ordered the townspeople to gather in the temples to make sacrifices to the gods. On the third day of the festivities organized for this occasion, the emperor ordered the arrest of all Christians. Jews and pagans helped the soldiers seize all the faithful they found in the streets and squares in order to force them to make sacrifices. Many yielded under the threat of torture, and those who refused to comply were mercilessly killed.

Maximilian, the son of the prefect of the city, and six other young men from the most respected families who served in the army, mourned and shed tears over the suffering of the martyrs, and even more about the lost souls of the apostates. Each time they learned about the sacrifice made, they went to church to pray. This behavior did not escape the pagans, who reported on them. Bound, with their eyes still wet from tears, the seven young men were brought to the emperor. Answering the question about the reason for their disobedience, Maximilian said for everyone: “We know God, whose glory fills heaven and earth, and we offer Him a secret sacrifice through confession of faith and constant prayer!” The enraged Decius ordered the belts - insignia of military distinction - to be removed from them and, pretending to be merciful, he ordered the Christians to be untied and gave them several days to think until he returned to the city.

After consulting, the seven young men decided to hide in a large cave to the east of the city and, in silence and prayer, prepare for a new meeting with the tyrant. While they were in this refuge, Jamblichus, the youngest of them, brought food for everyone and for this purpose from time to time went down to the city.

Returning to Ephesus, Decius ordered Christian captives to be brought to him to offer them sacrifices to idols. Having learned about this, the young men intensified their prayers. They cried out to God with such fervor that when they sat down in the evening to eat the bread brought by Jamblichus, they were overcome by sleep. By the Providence of God, they all reposed with prayer on their lips.

Angered by the absence of the young men, Decius ordered to interrogate their parents, who indicated the place of refuge of their sons. Then he sent people there, ordering to wall up the entrance to the cave so that the saints would suffocate. The royal servants Theodore and Varv, to whom this order was given, were themselves secret Christians, but they carried out the order reluctantly, and then cut out the story of the martyrdom of seven young men on lead tablets, put them in a box and hid them nearby.

About 200 years later, during the reign of Theodosius the Younger (c. 446), a heresy arose in the Church, spread by the Aegean bishop Theodore. His teaching denied the resurrection of the dead and led to the destruction of many souls. Seeing this, the pious Emperor Theodosius with tears prayed to God to reveal the truth. At this time, a certain Adatius, the owner of the land on which there was a cave with seven young men, decided to build a cattle pen on this place. While obtaining stones for construction, he excavated the entrance to the cave - and immediately the seven young men came to life, as if they had fallen asleep the day before. They immediately remembered the persecution and the order of Decius to make a public sacrifice. Maximilian said: “Let us come to Decius! Let us not be afraid of persecutors and we will not betray our faith out of cowardice. You, Jamblichus, take the money and go into the city to buy bread. Take more than usual, since we are very hungry, and at the same time find out if the emperor is looking for us.”

Approaching the city, Jamblichus was first of all surprised to see images of the cross on all the gates. Not recognizing either people or houses, he asked himself whether he was dreaming or whether he had come to another city. He bought bread at the market, but when he handed the coins to the baker, he looked at him with suspicion and asked if he had found an old treasure, because on the coins there was an image of one of the long-ruling emperors. At these words, Iamblichus trembled with fear and, thinking that he would now be taken to the emperor, wanted to flee, but the merchants grabbed him and threatened to kill him if he did not share the treasures. Putting a rope around the young man's neck, they led him to the market square.

At that moment the crowd met the proconsul, who was going to see Bishop Stephen. Having learned about the reason for the excitement, he asked Jamblichus where he found the treasures and where he was hiding them. The young man replied that he had not found anything, and that he got the coins from his parents. When asked where he was from, Jamblichus replied: “I was born here, if this city is really Ephesus,” and named his parents. These names were unknown to the proconsul and even sounded unusual. Angry, he accused Jamblichus of deception, while coins from two hundred years ago indicate that he had found a treasure. Jamblichus fell at his feet and asked where the Emperor Decius was. When he was told that he had died many years ago, Jamblichus invited the proconsul to go to the cave and make sure that he and his comrades were hiding there from the persecution of Decius.

The proconsul, accompanied by the bishop and a large crowd, went to the cave where lead tablets with the names of the holy youths were discovered. The proconsul and bishop wrote to the emperor that the miraculous appearance of seven young men who had died many years ago served as clear evidence of the possibility of bodily resurrection. The emperor hurried to Ephesus, met with the saints and watered their feet with tears. Having told their story in detail to the emperor and the bishops present, Maximilian and his comrades quietly sank to the ground and finally fell asleep in the sleep of death.

Theodosius ordered the production of seven golden sarcophagi and a solemn funeral for the young men, to which he summoned all the inhabitants of Ephesus, poor and rich. But the next night the saints appeared to the emperor and asked to leave their bodies in the same cave in anticipation of the general resurrection.

The Cave of the Seven Sleeping Youths, traditionally identified with the cave where St. Mary Magdalene rested, has become a famous place of pilgrimage. The veneration of sleeping youths spread throughout the Christian world.

Compiled by Hieromonk Macarius of Simonopetra,
adapted Russian translation - Sretensky Monastery Publishing House