Holy Martyr Isidore (251)

The holy Martyr Isidore (+251) lived on the island of Chios. He was from Alexandria by origin. In the first year of his reign the Emperor Decius (249–251) issued a decree to register all citizens fit for military service. Saint Isidore was assigned to the regiment of the commander Numerius. Isidore was a Christian and avoided every pagan spectacle. When the emperor demanded that all soldiers perform the rite of sacrifice, a centurion denounced Saint Isidore to Numerius. Neither threats nor coaxing nor promises availed. The saint declared that he obeyed only the will of the eternal King, Jesus Christ, and would never fall away from Him. By the commander’s order the saint’s tongue was torn out, but by God’s will Saint Isidore went on glorifying God even after the order had been carried out. Stricken with terror at this miracle, Numerius fell senseless to the ground and himself lost the power of speech. Raised up with the soldiers’ help, the commander wrote the sentence on a sheet: beheading. Saint Isidore met the sentence of death with joy and gave thanks to God. His body was thrown out unburied, but the saint’s friend Ammonius, a secret Christian, committed it to the earth with honour. Later Ammonius himself met a martyr’s end.