Akathist Hymn to the Seven Holy Youths of Ephesus
(They are entreated in the sicknesses of children, in sleeplessness and anxiety, and for deliverance from the persecution of the Antichrist.)
O wondrous youths, chosen by Christ God risen from the dead, shown forth in Ephesus to assure this world of the general resurrection, we who glorify God glorified in you offer you a hymn worthy of praise, saying: Rejoice, sufferers for Christ, wondrous preachers of the general resurrection of the dead!
The Creator of the angels, knowing from the beginning the unwavering steadfastness of your faith, brought you forth in those harsh circumstances to foretell the general resurrection, as witnesses like the angels of the promise of the Gospel. Amazed at such care of God for us, we cry with reverence thus:
Rejoice, radiant luminaries of the resurrection to come; rejoice, glorious rays of Christ the Saviour risen from the dead; rejoice, dawn of that glorious day of the Lord; rejoice, ye who were chosen as faithful sons of Christ among unbelieving households; rejoice, ye who were called to the wondrous light and freedom as sons of the resurrection; rejoice, ye who were chosen by the Holy Spirit to preach eternal life; Rejoice, sufferers for Christ, wondrous preachers of the general resurrection of the dead!
Your parents, seeing your good sense, hastened to have you enrolled in the king’s army; but ye, who hated all that passeth away in the world, lifted up your hearts to the King of the heavenly Sion, for ye were counted friends of God and servants of the mystery of the general resurrection, singing to Christ: Alleluia.
O wondrous youths, made worthy of receiving the mind of Christ by souls made pure, who by the grace of Christ guard your companions from sins, made brothers and united in love and spirit, therefore accept from us this praise:
Rejoice, ye who were born again of the one font of baptism; rejoice, ye who were united as brothers by the love of Christ; rejoice, beloved children of the Church; rejoice, companions of the angels of God; rejoice, ye who nourished yourselves with the bread of true life more than with natural food; rejoice, ye who by that food, through the intercession of the grace of the Holy Spirit, sprang up from death to life; Rejoice, sufferers for Christ, wondrous preachers of the general resurrection of the dead!
The power of the Most High, which strengtheneth the initiates of grace in trials, was pleased to adorn you with crowns before angels and men for your nobly victorious confession of the faith, and taught us to sing to God: Alleluia.
The saints did not abandon their custom of going with zeal to the house of the Lord to pray every day in the days of the persecution of Decius, all together openly confessing the faith of Christ; they hastened to make the king aware of it, but the power of God changed the threat of that tormentor into your glorification. We rejoice at such providence of God concerning you and speak to you thus with a compunctionate heart:
Rejoice, ye who by the grace of Christ put to flight the dark powers of the prince of this world; rejoice, all-victorious crushers of the wickedness and craft of his servants; rejoice, ye whom their devices and fury could neither frighten nor trouble; rejoice, ye who were strengthened by the visible help of God; rejoice, ye who were kept safe amid the tormentors like Daniel of old cast into the den of lions; rejoice, ye who by the grace of the Theotokos were delivered unharmed from their siege; Rejoice, sufferers for Christ, wondrous preachers of the general resurrection of the dead!
Stirred by a storm of rage, the godless king Decius asked the saints in wrath: “Why would ye not be with us at the feast of our gods, whom the whole world worshippeth?” And one of the seven, Maximilian, answered: “We have one God and King who liveth in the heavens; to Him we offer at all times the sacrifice of praise, glory and prayer, singing to Him: Alleluia.”
When the lawless king heard how boldly ye confessed your faith, he commanded that your military rank be taken from you, and thus began your trial for Christ; O ye who passed away through Christ’s swift hearing in a most wondrous sleep, ask of God steadfastness for those who sing to you:
Rejoice, ye who from the army of an earthly king were numbered among the hosts of the heavenly King; rejoice, ye who forsook earthly glory and received heavenly glory; rejoice, ye who were deprived of earthly honour for Christ’s sake; rejoice, ye who for this were adorned by Him with incorruptible crowns; rejoice, ye who appeared as preachers of His victory; rejoice, sevenfold radiance of His eternal glory; Rejoice, sufferers for Christ, wondrous preachers of the general resurrection of the dead!
Warmed by divine love, ye were hidden from the tormentors by the grace of Christ, O holy youths, Maximilian, Iamblichus, Martinian, John, Dionysius, Exacustodian and Antoninus; ye joined the beauty of youthful age to the beauty of the inner man, and with fervent confession like the angels ye sing to God: Alleluia.
When the wicked king Decius saw the great comeliness of your youth, he did not release you from your bonds for even one day. He hoped that ye would fall away from Christ, but ye withdrew to your homes and hastened to give to the poor the gold and silver ye had prepared for the day of your departure from this world; therefore we write a hymn of praise to you thus:
Rejoice, ye who moved the tormentor, perverted by evil, to grant a little mercy; rejoice, ye who by your youthful meekness calmed his wickedness for a short time; rejoice, ye who by the beauty of the sons of light took captive the ugly servants of sin; rejoice, ye who by the grace of the Holy Spirit overcame their craft; rejoice, ye who by giving away earthly wealth were enriched with heavenly treasure; rejoice, for ye teach us too to lend to God, that we may purchase an unfailing treasure in the heavens; Rejoice, sufferers for Christ, wondrous preachers of the general resurrection of the dead!
The cave of Mount Ochlon telleth of your wondrous glory, O holy youths; its ravines and caves are fragrant with your prayer; from the darkness of the tomb ye appeared to us too as strength of the Church and luminaries of heavenly glory, and ye taught us to sing to Christ God, the beginning of the general resurrection: Alleluia.
When Christ God willed to make the light of truth shine upon men and to drive away the darkness of error, He was pleased that ye should go down into a dark tomb, for afterwards by your wondrous rising ye bore true witness to the general resurrection. For such good pleasure of God towards you, with bowed necks we cry out a hymn of praise thus:
Rejoice, ye who were delivered by divine providence for the steadfastness of your confession; rejoice, for ye teach us too to hold fast the truth; rejoice, ye who fulfilled your struggles without pain; rejoice, ye who rested in a wondrous sleep, and by rising from it scattered the darkness of delusion; rejoice, for your bodies were kept by God in incorruption; rejoice, ye who by the will of God rose before the general resurrection; Rejoice, sufferers for Christ, wondrous preachers of the general resurrection of the dead!
The godless king purposed to draw the holy youths by force to idolatry; he held a feast of the idols and commanded that they be brought there. His servants did not find them in Ephesus, but their parents, afraid of the punishment that would come, told him that they were hidden in a cave, crying to God: Alleluia.
The world showed its evil spirit with renewed force when parents made known to the king the dwelling-place of their children and so fell away from love of them. Therefore we speak thus to the chosen of God:
Rejoice, ye who were disregarded by the earth and received by heaven; rejoice, ye who for the sake of the heavenly Father were betrayed by earthly fathers; rejoice, ye who through the intercession of His fatherly love were wondrously kept in a mysterious sleep; rejoice, ye who attained to incorruption and bring the dawn of the light of the resurrection to the world; rejoice, ye who sweeten our end with the promise of the fulfilment of God’s promises; Rejoice, sufferers for Christ, wondrous preachers of the general resurrection of the dead!
A wondrous and glorious sign of Almighty God was wrought upon you, O holy youths, when at the command of Decius the door of the cave was shut and sealed with a seal; for a hundred and eighty years, until the days of the emperor Theodosius, ye remained asleep there, and when ye rose up as living men ye put to shame the wisdom of the Sadducees; therefore we sing to Christ who raised you up: Alleluia.
The company of the seven confessors, kept in a stone tomb, was not cast out from eternal life; but, passing through a sleep of a hundred and eighty years and by the good pleasure of God casting sleep from their eyes, the holy youths rose from the dead; they bear witness to the whole world to the general resurrection and teach us too to sing thus:
Rejoice, ye who by the intercession of God’s promises strengthen hope in the general resurrection; rejoice, ye who were shut up in a stone tomb for Christ God, the head of the corner; rejoice, ye who were sealed with a seal by Him who was laid in the grave; rejoice, ye who were set free from the bonds of death by the Lamb who taketh away the sins of the world; rejoice, ye who, to assure us of the general resurrection, were called forth from the tomb like Lazarus four days dead; rejoice, ye who are likened to the seven cherubim standing before the throne of the glory of God; Rejoice, sufferers for Christ, wondrous preachers of the general resurrection of the dead!
All the ranks of the angels rejoiced at your wondrous rising after many years, and marvelled that, not knowing the great wonder wrought upon you, ye kissed one another and offered to God the morning hymn, as those who had gone to sleep in the evening, singing: Alleluia.
An eloquent tongue cannot tell Thy wonders, O Lord; we know how the blessed youth Iamblichus, not knowing that he had slept for many years, went out of the cave into the city to seek food, and marvelled greatly when he saw Ephesus enlightened by the faith of Christ, and glorified God; and we speak thus:
Rejoice, labourers in the Lord’s harvest, who shed tears abundantly in your prayers; rejoice, ye who fell asleep in poverty and persecution and rose in glory and a multitude of possessions; rejoice, for ye rejoiced at the victory of the faith of Christ, which was persecuted in your time; rejoice, for ye saw plainly the victory of Christ over this world; rejoice, for ye teach us too to hope in Him; rejoice, for ye shelter us from despair; Rejoice, sufferers for Christ, wondrous preachers of the general resurrection of the dead!
When God willed to strengthen men in the faith, He instructed the bishop of the city by the coin brought by holy Iamblichus, and he glorified God and sang: Alleluia.
Ye appeared as a rampart and strength of faith, O saints, to the men who came to you in the cave and found the tablet on which were written your names and the day of your end, that all might sing:
Rejoice, sevenfold chosen vessels of God; rejoice, ye who with the holy martyrs were anointed with the oil of gladness; rejoice, seven lamps shining before the throne of God and before men; rejoice, seven trumpets, heralds of the second coming of the Son of Man; rejoice, seven angels, proclaiming the glory of those who endure all things to the end; rejoice, for like the golden seven-branched lampstand ye adorn the Church; Rejoice, sufferers for Christ, wondrous preachers of the general resurrection of the dead!
The right-believing emperor Theodosius sent up a hymn of thanksgiving to the all-holy Trinity; he hastened to Ephesus to see the holy youths, and remained with them seven days, until the saints bowed their heads and commended their souls to the Lord, and all who were there together sent up a hymn of thanksgiving to Christ God: Alleluia.
The holy youths appeared like beacons that drive away the darkness of heresies, enlightened with light not made by hands, and by their blessed rising after their falling asleep they confirm the truth of the life to come; they put to shame the wisdom of the Sadducees, calmed every schism in the Church, and bear witness with Lazarus who was dead to the general resurrection. Therefore we give thanks to God and cry to you with a compunctionate heart:
Rejoice, ye who enlighten the evening of our life with good hope; rejoice, for ye guide towards the heavenly haven us who are cast into this vale of mourning; rejoice, for like stars ye lead us to the blessed harbour of rest, the palace of Christ; rejoice, heralds of the eternal blessedness prepared for those who mourn; rejoice, for ye bear witness that the sufferings of this world are not worthy to be compared with the glory to come; rejoice, valiant ones who dwell in the kingdom of heaven; Rejoice, sufferers for Christ, wondrous preachers of the general resurrection of the dead!
Grace hath been granted you by God to show the way to His wondrous light to all who love and honour Him. So bring the dawn of firm hope to our sorrowful life, shelter us from falling into sin, and stand by us at the hour of death, that by your help we sinners may attain to the unwaning light of the glory of God and with the righteous sing to God for you: Alleluia.
We sing of the power of God wondrously glorified in you, O holy youths, and call you blessed, for ye are helpers and intercessors for us before God; standing with love before your holy icon, we cry out praises such as these:
Rejoice, boast and strength of Christians; rejoice, ye who fill us with the grace of your glorious help; rejoice, physicians and intercessors of sick children; rejoice, sure comforters of their parents; rejoice, rampart and shelter of all who love and honour you; rejoice, helpers and protectors of all Christians; Rejoice, sufferers for Christ, wondrous preachers of the general resurrection of the dead!
O wondrous youths, who with the light of your heavenly glory and your witness to eternal life bring the dawn to our sorrowful life! Accept this small prayer of ours and disregard not us who flee to you; entreat the King of all for us, that we may not fail to reach His heavenly palace, but with all the saints may sing to Christ God: Alleluia.
(This kontakion is read thrice, then again Ikos 1 and Kontakion 1.)
The Creator of the angels, knowing from the beginning the unwavering steadfastness of your faith, brought you forth in those harsh circumstances to foretell the general resurrection, as witnesses like the angels of the promise of the Gospel. Amazed at such care of God for us, we cry with reverence thus:
Rejoice, radiant luminaries of the resurrection to come; rejoice, glorious rays of Christ the Saviour risen from the dead; rejoice, dawn of that glorious day of the Lord; rejoice, ye who were chosen as faithful sons of Christ among unbelieving households; rejoice, ye who were called to the wondrous light and freedom as sons of the resurrection; rejoice, ye who were chosen by the Holy Spirit to preach eternal life; Rejoice, sufferers for Christ, wondrous preachers of the general resurrection of the dead!
O wondrous youths, chosen by Christ God risen from the dead, shown forth in Ephesus to assure this world of the general resurrection, we who glorify God glorified in you offer you a hymn worthy of praise, saying: Rejoice, sufferers for Christ, wondrous preachers of the general resurrection of the dead!
O wondrous holy seven youths, boast of Ephesus and hope of the whole world! Look down from the heavenly glory on us who with love honour your memory, and look above all on Christian children commended to you by their parents; send down upon them the blessing of Christ God, who saith: Suffer the little children to come unto Me. Heal the sick among them, fill them with meekness, plant and make grow in the soil of their hearts the seed of faith in God, that they may grow up strong. And make all of us who stand before your holy icon (names) and fervently entreat you worthy to inherit the kingdom of heaven, that with an unceasing voice of joy we may glorify the all-honourable and majestic name of the all-holy Trinity, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, who judgest the living and the dead, through the intercession of the prayers of the holy Seven Youths of Ephesus have mercy on us sinners; forgive the falls of our life into sin, and by their providence hide us from the lawless Antichrist in the hidden abode of Thy salvation. Amen.
Translated by Tamar Eristavi.
