Holy Martyr Eudokia of Baalbek

Saint Eudokia of Baalbek

The first of March in the Orthodox Church, which this year is Forgiveness Sunday and is the feast day of Dewi Sant, is also the feast-day of Saint Eudokia, a martyr of the early second century who suffered under the reign of the Roman Emperor Trajan. She was a Samaritan native of Heliopolis, which is the modern Baalbek in Lebanon.

Eudokia [Gr. Εὐδοκία] was a young woman whose origins lay in the Nablus. Although she was a Samaritan, she did not follow God but instead worshipped at pagan altars. Being remarkably beautiful, Eudokia quickly found that she could live quite comfortably as one of the hetairai or courtesans. She amassed a small fortune for herself by flattery and by courting wealthy lovers, and spent much of her youth in the pursuit of wealth and physical pleasure.

It so happened that one night she was awoken at midnight by the sound of beautiful song, coming from the enclosure next to hers. This happened to belong to a Christian woman, who had invited into her home a monk. Some hagiographical accounts have it that the monk was preaching to the household of the Last Judgement – the punishment that awaited sinners, and the rewards that awaited the righteous. Others hold it that the monk was singing from the Psalter, so sweetly that it kept Eudokia awake all that night. Whatever the case, Eudokia had a change of heart.

The next day broke and Eudokia lost no time in summoning the monk she had heard the night before, to come to her house. She learned the monk’s name was Germanos (perhaps the same for whom Saint Germain of Auxerre and Saint Herman the Wonderworker were named), and that he was returning to his home monastery after a pilgrimage to the holy places in Palestine. Eudokia plied the monk with many questions about faith, salvation and the life of Christ; and soon – just as happened to another Samaritan woman, as recounted in the Gospel of John – she was taken by a fierce desire for the waters of life, which outstripped all the other passions that she had hitherto known.

She invited the monk Germanos to stay in her house for a week, during which time she locked herself in her room, fasting and praying to God. At last, seeing that her conversion was sincere and heartfelt, the monk Germanos instructed Saint Eudokia to sell all that she possessed and distribute the proceeds among the poor, to forget her previous life and her previous lovers, and to seek baptism. She sought out Bishop Theodotos of her native city, and crossed the spiritual Jordan to take up the struggles of the wilderness in her own heart. She entered a spiritual community and led a life of constant repentance and prayer, and the Lord forgave her and blessed her with gifts of spiritual discernment and healing.

It so happened that one of her former lovers, a pagan named Philostratēs, heard of her conversion to Christianity and her newfound celibate vocation, and undertook to see her by disguising himself as a Christian monk. Desiring her still for himself, he attempted to cajole and persuade her to give up her Christian life and return to her former occupation. Saint Eudokia became indignant, and cried aloud: ‘May God rebuke you and forbid you to leave this place!’ At which pronouncement, Philostratēs fell over dead. Eudokia, horrified that her imprecation might have killed him, began to pray over the body of Philostratēs. Through her prayers to the Lord, her former lover was raised from the dead.

Philostratēs, having gotten back his life, fell down at Eudokia’s feet and begged her forgiveness. Eudokia readily forgave him, and we may imagine that Philostratēs was genuinely touched, for he went back freely to Baalbek, confessed his sins to the monk Germanos and was baptised a Christian. Eventually Philostratēs became a monk in truth and not merely as a disguise. Never once did he forget the mercy shown him by God and by His servant Eudokia.

A series of anti-Christian persecutions occurred in which Saint Eudokia suffered persecution and demonstrated for all how truly she had changed her life through Christ’s aid. On one occasion several pagan townspeople in Baalbek accused Eudokia of having stolen several valuable gold and silver articles and ensconced them in her community, and went before the governor Aurelian with their complaint. Aurelian sent a detachment of soldiers to Eudokia’s church and surrounded it in an attempt to retrieve the supposed goods, but the soldiers were not able to enter, being held back as it seemed by some invisible force.

Then Aurelian sent his own son to command the soldiers, but the son injured his leg. The wound grew infected and Aurelian’s son died of the infection. Philostratēs, now a monk, wrote to the distraught and grieving Aurelian to ask Saint Eudokia to pray for his son – that, like him, his life might be restored. Aurelian did as Philostratēs advised. The Lord took mercy upon Aurelian’s son, and through Saint Eudokia’s prayers he was revived. Having seen this for themselves, Aurelian and his commanders came to believe in Christ, and were baptised.

Other persecutions followed this one. The governor who followed Aurelian was Diogenes, and his hatred of the Christians was quite fierce. He sent the commander Diodoros to arrest Saint Eudokia and subject her to torture. As he was doing so, Diodoros received word that his wife Firmina had fallen ill and died suddenly. Diodoros rushed to Saint Eudokia and begged her to save his wife. Saint Eudokia prayed to God with great faith, and the witness to Christ resurrected Firmina. Upon beholding this wonder for themselves, both Diogenes and Diodoros came to believe in Christ, and were baptised. After Diodoros was baptised, a certain widow came to where he was listening to Saint Eudokia, and told him that her son had been bitten by an asp, and had been poisoned on the brink of death. Eudokia instructed Diodoros to pray for the boy, and through the faith of the newly-illumined Diodoros, the boy was saved.

Saint Eudokia lived in community with a number of other celibates at her church for fifty-six years, and was martyred by the governor of Syria Vincentius under the reign of Emperor Trajan in the year 107 AD, being beheaded by the sword. Holy martyr Eudokia, true penitent and compassionate forgiver of your enemies, pray unto Christ our God for us sinners!

Apolytikion of Saint Eudokia, Tone 8:

With an upright mind you bound your soul to the love of Christ.
As a disciple of the Word you turned from corruption and all that passes away,
For you were not moved by earthly beauty.
First you mortified the passions through fasting,
Then you put the enemy to shame by your suffering.
Therefore, Christ has granted you a two-fold crown.
Glorious Eudokia, venerable passion-bearer,
Entreat Christ God that our souls may be saved!