Dorotheus of Tyre
Hieromartyr
Commemorated June 5
Hieromartyr Dorotheus was the Bishop of Tyre from ca. 255 to 362. He is traditionally credited with an Acts of the Seventy Apostles, which may be the same work as the lost Gospel of the Seventy, which records those sent out according to the Gospel of Luke 10:1. He is commemorated on June 5 .
Dorotheus, a learned priest of Antioch and the teacher of the Church historian Eusebius of Caesarea , was appointed director without having to renounce his religion .
Heeding the words of the Gospel (Mt.10:23) during the time of the persecution against Christians under the emperor Diocletian, Dorotheus withdrew from Tyre and hid from the persecutors. He returned to Tyre during the reign of St. Constantine the Great and guided his flock for more than fifty years. He attended the Council of Nicea in 325.
When the emperor Julian the Apostate began to persecute Christians, St. Dorotheus was already over 100 years old. He withdrew from Tyre to the Myzean city of Udum (present day Bulgarian Varna), where agents of the emperor arrested him for his refusal to offer sacrifice to idols and began to torture the holy Elder. Under torture Dorotheus surrendered his soul to the Lord about the year 362 at the age of 107.
Troparion
O Dorotheus, wise hierarch of Christ,
You received the light of wisdom as a gift from the Father of lights.
You increased the talents given to you
And in your old age contested beyond the bounds of nature.
And now, O Hieromartyr, you even intercede for our souls!
Kontakion
By preaching Orthodox doctrine, O Hieromartyr,
You offered yourself as a godly and holy gift.
First you excelled in asceticism
And then in the contest of martyrdom,
Attaining the victor’s prize from Christ our God!
Kontakion - Tone 5
You were resplendent, O blessed Dorotheus,
With virtues brighter than the sun and with your sufferings!
You shine forth and enlighten the land,
Dispelling the darkness of idolatry and base heresy.
Therefore, we celebrate your memory with splendor!
Source: Wikimedia Commons
