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St. Theodorus Grapt (27 December): Butler's Lives of the Saints
Published 4 hours ago
St Theodore the Branded (St Theodore Graptos) is commemorated on December 27 in the Roman Martyrology. His life is one of heroic endurance, fidelity to the Catholic faith, and unwavering defense of holy images during the Iconoclast persecutions of the Byzantine Empire.
Born of wealthy and virtuous parents from the land of the Moabites, St Theodore was raised in Jerusalem and placed at a young age in the famous Monastery of St Sabas. Through extraordinary purity of life, deep learning, and habitual mortification, he quickly attained a high degree of holiness. He was later ordained a priest by the Patriarch of Jerusalem.
During the reign of Leo the Armenian, who violently opposed sacred images, St Theodore was sent to exhort the emperor to preserve peace in the Church. Instead, he was scourged, exiled, imprisoned, and tortured, along with his brother St Theophanes, a monk and later bishop.
Under Emperor Theophilus, their persecution intensified. After refusing communion with iconoclasts, they were publicly beaten, imprisoned, and subjected to a horrific punishment: twelve iambic verses were engraved into their foreheads, permanently marking them for their defense of sacred tradition. From this branding, St Theodore received the surname “Graptos”, meaning engraved or marked.
St Theodore eventually died from the wounds inflicted by this inscription while in exile in Apamea, Syria. His brother St Theophanes survived and was later honored as Bishop of Nicaea, helping to restore orthodoxy after the triumph of holy images in 842 under Empress Theodora.
This account comes from Fr. Alban Butler’s Lives of the Saints and stands as one of the most striking testimonies of courage during the Iconoclast heresy.
👉 Watch, listen, and meditate on the cost of defending sacred truth.
0:00 – Introduction: Lives of the Saints (December 27)
0:24 – Birth and holy upbringing of St Theodore
0:36 – Monastery of St Sabas & growth in virtue
0:52 – Ordination and mission to Emperor Leo the Armenian
1:06 – Scourging, exile, and suffering with St Theophanes
1:22 – Death of Leo the Armenian and return to Constantinople
1:32 – Persecution under Michael the Stutterer
1:52 – Emperor Theophilus and renewed iconoclast violence
2:07 – Public beatings and imprisonment
2:22 – Verses engraved into their foreheads
2:49 – The brutal branding of St Theodore
3:14 – Death of St Theodore in exile
3:26 – Triumph of holy images under Empress Theodora
3:37 – Honor of St Theophanes the Poet
3:50 – Liturgical commemoration dates
Get Butler's Lives of the Saints here: https://loretopublications.idevaffiliate.com/idevaffiliate.php?id=102&url=1
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