22 ВЕРЕСНЯ / SEP 22

Hieromartyr Phocas

Hieromartyr Phocas was born in the city of Sinope. From his youth he lived a virtuous Christian life, and later became Bishop of Sinope. Through his preaching and holy example, he brought many pagans to faith in Christ.

During the persecution of Christians under Emperor Trajan (98–117), the governor demanded that Saint Phocas renounce Christ. The Saint firmly refused and endured cruel tortures. Finally, he was placed in a hot bath, where he gave his soul to God and received the crown of martyrdom in the year 117.

The Hieromartyr Phocas is venerated as a protector against fire.

The Holy Prophet Jonah

The Holy Prophet Jonah lived in the eighth century before Christ. The Book of the Prophet Jonah tells of his preaching to the people of Nineveh and his call for them to repent (Jon. 3:3–10).

The Prophet Jonah was sent by God to Nineveh to warn the people of God’s judgment. When the Ninevites heard his preaching, they repented of their sins, fasted, and turned back to God.

Our Lord Jesus Christ referred to Jonah when the Scribes and Pharisees demanded a sign from Him. He said: “As Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights, so also shall the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights” (Mt. 12:40).

In these words, Christ revealed the prophetic meaning of Jonah’s story. Jonah’s three days in the belly of the whale foreshadowed Christ’s death, His descent into Hades, and His Resurrection on the third day.

The Lord also praised the repentance of the Ninevites, saying: “The Ninevites shall rise in the judgment with this generation and will condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and one greater than Jonah is here” (Mt. 12:41).

Saint Jonah the Presbyter

Saint Jonah the Presbyter, the father of Saints Theophanes the Hymnographer and Theodore the Branded, lived in Palestine in the late eighth and early ninth centuries.

Saint Jonah lived a virtuous life. He had two sons who later became saints and bravely defended the Orthodox Faith during the time of the Iconoclast heresy.

After the death of his wife, Saint Jonah withdrew to the Lavra of Saint Savva the Sanctified, where both of his sons had earlier become monks. He remained there until his death in the ninth century.