The Holy Martyrs Theodore, His Mother Philippi, Dioscorus, Socrates and Dionysius

In Pergia, five Christians were executed.
A group of believers led by a military commander was executed for refusing to sacrifice to the Roman gods

In the Asia Minor city of Pergia (Pamphylia province) during the reign of Emperor Antoninus Pius, five people who refused to participate in pagan rites were executed. Among the convicts are the young man Theodore, his mother Philippi, the former priest Dioscorus and two soldiers Socrates and Dionysius.

The events began with a conscription campaign. The local military commander Theodotus selected strong young men for military service. Among others, Theodore was brought to him. The commander demanded that the recruit publicly make sacrifices to idols. Having been refused, he ordered the young man to be tortured with red-hot metal.

There was an earthquake in execution. From the resulting fault broke the water stream, which extinguished the flame. Left unharmed, the convict offered Theodotus to conduct a similar experiment involving pagan deities.

The military commander appealed to the priest Dioscorus with the requirement to lie on a red-hot surface, summoning Zeus. The priest suddenly announced his conversion to Christianity and expressed his readiness to throw the statue of Zeus into the fire. Theodotus told him to go up to the torture bed. Dioscorus asked Theodore for prayerful support, and then ascended to the red-hot metal with words of gratitude to Christ. Death came quickly.

Theodore’s trials continued. He was tied to unbroken horses. The animals rushed, but at the fortress wall collapsed and died, while the prisoner was not injured. The soldiers Socrates and Dionysius, who were in the cordon, reported that they observed a fire chariot descending from the sky, which caught the tortured man. The soldiers aloud recognized the greatness of the Christian God and were immediately arrested.

The next day, all three were sent to a hot stove. In the morning, the fire was extinguished and the convicts were alive. The guard sent for inspection reported that Philippi, the mother of Theodore, had arrived at the place of detention, who encouraged her son’s comrades.

The woman summoned for questioning rejected the proposal to persuade her son to abdicate. She explained that even before the birth she received a revelation about the crucifixion of the unborn child. After this statement, Theodotus approved the final sentence. Theodore was executed by crucifixion, he died on the cross after three days of continuous prayer. Socrates, Dionysius, and Philippi had their heads cut off.

The executions date from between 138 and 161 when Antoninus Pius held the imperial throne. At that time, Pergia was an important administrative center on the southern coast of Asia Minor.