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| Sts, Dios, Bythonios and Galykos (Feast Day - April 3) |
Verses
To Dios.
The impious threw a clay pot at the head of Dios,
Crushing it like a clay vessel.
Crushing it like a clay vessel.
To Bythonios.
Bythionios was cast into the depths,
Finding his prophetic calling in the end.
Finding his prophetic calling in the end.
To Galykos.
Galykos was bitten by the teeth of beasts,
Crushing the teeth of the noetic beast.
Crushing the teeth of the noetic beast.
The Holy Martyr Dios met his end by having a clay pot thrown at his head.
The Holy Martyr Bythonios met his end by being cast into the sea.
The Holy Martyr Galykos met his end by being bitten by wild beasts.
Though these Holy Martyrs are commemorated separately in the Synaxarion of Constantinople, in the Laura Codex I 70 they are commemorated together. There it says that they stood trial before the ruler of a certain city on behalf of their Christian confession and for refusing to sacrifice to the idols. The ruler told them that if they attended a festival on behalf of a certain god, and sacrificed to that god, then he would give them whatever they wanted. The Saints told him that they would attend. When the feast began and the time for the sacrifice came, the Saints threw down the idols and crushed them. The poor people of the city then rushed to grab the broken golden pieces of the crushed idols. Insulted by this, the ruler had them bound with ropes and tied to horses, by which they were dragged throughout the city for three days, while the people threw stones or whatever else they had at them, and they bit at their flesh. Lastly, a stone was tied to them and they were cast into the sea, but an angel saved them and kept them from harm. Many pagans became Christians when they witnessed this. But those who were enraged by this had them beheaded, and in this way they received crowns of martyrdom.
