Theodore and Theophan the Inscribed

Theophanes and Theodore Inscribed. 1547 fresco, Dionysiou Monastery, Athos

Theodore and Theophanes the Inscribed ( Greek Θεόδωρος καὶ Θεοφανής τῷ Γραπτώ ; second half of the VIII century - first half of the IX century) - Byzantine monks , siblings, confessors , philosophers who suffered from the iconoclasts . In the Orthodox Church are venerated .

According to the life , Theodore and Theophanes were born from pious Orthodox parents, their place of birth is Jerusalem ^[1] or Arabia . The parents of the brothers were Syrians. Theodore was an older brother. They got a good education. As young people, the brothers entered the monastery of Sava the Blessed , where they received monastic tonsure . Here in the monastery they studied with a priest. Theodore was elevated to the rank of presbyter .

In 813, Leo V the Armenian became the emperor of Byzantium , who deprived the Patriarch of Nicephorus of Constantinople in 815 , convened the Local Church Council , at which decisions of the 7th Ecumenical (II Nicaea) Council of 787 were canceled. Thus Leo forbade icon veneration and restored iconoclasm . During these events, the Patriarch of Jerusalem Thomas I sent Theodore and Theophanes to Constantinople , so that the brothers convinced the emperor to abandon iconoclasm. The conversations of the philosopher brothers with the emperor led the emperor to declare both brothers heretics and subjected them to cruel punishments. The brothers were sent to a conclusion in which they suffered various torments, insults, wounds and fetters, hunger and thirst. For more than twenty years - from 817 to 842 - the brothers were tortured and persecuted by the iconoclast emperors. Their suffering continued during the reign of three emperors: Leo the Armenian, Mikhail Balba and the especially ardent iconoclast Theophilos (829–842). Under Theophilus, the brothers were returned from exile and again persuaded to join the iconoclastic heresy, but they still firmly and courageously endured all the torment and were again expelled. A little later they were called again. One of the punishments that the brothers were subjected to on the orders of Emperor Theophilus was the following: iambic shameful verses were written on their faces with red-hot needles, or rather punched out, in which they spoke of holy confessors as “vessels of superstitious delusion”, after which the faces confessors were disfigured, scorched to the very verdah (eyelashes). For this reason, the brothers received a second name - "Inscribed." Before the torture, the city diocese asked Theodore to take communion only once with the iconoclasts - for this they were promised freedom. But the martyr replied: “It’s the same as you would say:“ We only chop off your head, and then go wherever you want. ” After the torture, the brothers were imprisoned in Apamea , where Theodore died around 840. His memory is January 9th . The relics of the Monk Martyr Theodore were transferred to Chalcedon , where healings were performed from them.

In captivity, Theophanes had correspondence with the future Patriarch of Constantinople, Confessor Methodius . Theophanes lived to see the restoration of icon veneration and participated in the Council of Constantinople in 843 . Patriarch Methodius decided to place Theophanes in the Metropolitans of Nicaea , but there were dissatisfied, indicating that Theophanes is a Syrian and has no guarantors; to which the patriarch, pointing to the disfigured face of Theophanes, said: "after such an inscription it is not necessary and wish for a better testimony in his Orthodox confession."

Theophanes compiled a solemn canon on the veneration of holy icons, wrote four books against the Jews , the district letter of the confessors on holy icons, verses on the persecution of holy icons; he is mainly known as a compiler of canons, the number of which extends to 145. Theophan died around 847. His memory is October 24th ^[1] .