Jan. 30 – Martyr Hippolytus.

Hieromartyr Hippolytus and with him the martyrs: Censorinus the prefect, Savin, the virgin Chrysa, and 20 martyrs suffered in Rome in 269. Censorinus, for the holy faith, was cast into prison, where in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ he raised a dead man and thereby converted 20 soldiers to Christ. He and these soldiers had their heads cut off. Savin was hung on a tree and scorched with fire. Chrysa was thrown into the sea with a stone around her neck. Saint Hippolytus, bishop of the Roman port, upon learning of the martyrdom of these saints, came to the governor and reproached him for his inhumanity; for this, after prolonged tortures, he too was thrown into the sea. St. Hippolytus is known as a disciple of St. Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons, a refuter of heretics, and a church writer.

The feast of the Synaxis of the Three Holy Hierarchs—Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom—was established in 1084 in Constantinople to put an end to the dispute that had arisen at that time concerning which of the three hierarchs should be given preference: some exalted St. Basil above the others, others St. Gregory the Theologian, and still others St. John Chrysostom. The hierarchs appeared to St. John, Bishop of Euchaita, and declared: “We are one in Christ; there is neither first nor second among us—each of us wrote teaching for the salvation of people by the Holy Spirit. Therefore, command that the dispute cease and that our memory be celebrated on one day.”

Venerable Zeno was a disciple of St. Basil the Great. He labored for 40 years in Antioch, eating bread every other day and drinking only a little water; he remained constantly in fasting, prayer, and the reading of sacred books, which visitors brought to him. He reposed at the beginning of the 5th century.

Martyr Theophilus the New was a Greek military commander and senator. While repelling the Agarenes (Muslims) from the borders of the Greek Empire, he was captured and taken prisoner. The Agarenes tried to persuade him to renounce Christ, but he remained steadfast; for this he spent 4 years in prison and was beheaded by the sword on the island of Cyprus in 784.