The Akathist to the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste is a prayer read in memory of the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste, who were martyred for their faith during the reign of Emperor Diocletian. This akathist helps to pray for those who gave their lives for their faith and to ask for protection from persecution and oppression.
Troparion, Tone 1
Have mercy, O Lord, upon us, beset by the sufferings of the saints who suffered for Thee, and heal all our infirmities, O Lover of Mankind, we pray.
Kondakion, Tone 6
Leave, O Lord, all the forces of the world behind, and cling to Thy Lordship in the heavens, O blessed Passion-bearers of the Lord, forty in number, who, having traversed fire and water, have worthily received glory from on high and a multitude of crowns.
Kondakion 1
O chosen Passion-bearers of Christ, forty in number, who, having traversed fire and water in the city of Sevastia, and having entered into eternal rest, we hymn you as our intercessors. You, having great boldness towards the Lord, free us from all our afflictions, O beloved ones, whom we call upon with love:
Rejoice, O holy forty martyrs of Sevastia, glorious wonderworkers.
Ikos 1
O heavenly angels, guardians of the human race, beholding your bold confession of Christ before the tormentor, the invisible ones strengthened you for the struggle of martyrdom. We, following your example, having accomplished this feat well, joyfully cry out:
Rejoice, O angels, who have been gladdened by the bold confession of Christ.
Rejoice, O angels, who have amazed your tormentors by your wondrous patience.
Rejoice, O angels, who have put the devil to shame by your sufferings.
Rejoice, O angels, who have armed yourselves with the invincible power of Christ and have conquered the invisible enemy and all his wickedness.
Rejoice, O angels, who have adorned the uncountable number of martyrs’ crowns.
Rejoice, O angels, who have become strong helpers of the earthly Church.
Rejoice, O holy forty martyrs of Sevastia, glorious wonderworkers.
Kondakion 2
Seeing the beast-like tormentor, the faith of the martyrs, he imprisoned them in the dungeon; but the Lord, who is rich in mercy, visibly visited His servants, praising the beginning of their struggle and urging them to complete it, saying that only he who endures to the end is crowned in the Kingdom of Heaven and is worthy to join the angels in singing:
All hail
Ikos 2
Having received the divine intellect from the Christ who has appeared to you, you have been established in the ascetic struggle, holy passion-bearers, and you have turned the reproach of the tormentor Agrikola into praise for yourselves. Therefore, we cry out to you:
Rejoice, you who have acquired the right reason of theology and have entirely surrendered your will to the will of God.
Rejoice, you who have despised worldly allurements and the glory of military service for the sake of Christ.
Rejoice, you who have not listened to the flattery of the tormentor and have not been intimidated by his threatening words.
Rejoice, you who have endured the dungeon confinement for the sake of Christ.
Rejoice, you who have been visited by the Savior of the world in prison, comforted by His good words, and strengthened for the struggle.
Rejoice, you who, with faith, comfort those who are in sorrow and deliver them from affliction.
Rejoice, holy forty martyrs of Sebastia, renowned wonderworkers.
Kondak 3
The power of the Most High has made you, holy passion-bearers, strong in word against the impious, and therefore, the proud tormentor, not tolerating your boldness, cast you again into prison, where you joyfully sing to God:
Alleluia
Ikos 3
Having the compassionate Kiros as your teacher in prison, you have been strengthened in the faith of Christ and, having been led to the judgment seat on the eighth day, you have appeared before Lysius the prince and Agrikola the commander, boldly exposing their impiety. For this boldness of yours, we offer you these praises:
Rejoice, you who have been clothed in the armor of the faith of Christ and have been protected by the shield of His grace.
Rejoice, you who have loved Christ above all and, for His command, have despised the lawless tormentors.
Rejoice, you who have preached the power of Christ to the impious and have clearly shown the omnipotence of God.
Rejoice, you who, by the power of God, have been returned unharmed from the stoning.
Rejoice, you who, by the same power, have turned the arrows of the enemy back to us.
Rejoice, holy forty martyrs of Sebastia, renowned wonderworkers.
Kondak 4
Blowing a storm of malice against Christ, the proud Lysius cast the martyrs into prison, where Christ again appeared to them, comforting and encouraging them, and promising them imperishable crowns in the Kingdom of Heaven. Having heard this, they joyfully sang to God:
Alleluia
Ikos 4
Having heard the steadfast confession of Christ, the tormentors condemned them to a night-long standing in the icy lake; yet, possessing the divine fire of love in their hearts, they did not fear the bitter cold, but, united in their praise, they went forth to suffer. We, marveling at their endurance, call out to them thus:
Glorify, O blessed confessors of Christ.
Be glad, O destroyers of idolatry.
Glorify, O ones who, having endured the fierce torment, have entered into eternal rest.
Be glad, O ones who, having obtained innumerable blessings through sufferings, have found healing.
Glorify, O dear and steadfast companions of the forty martyrs.
Be glad, O ones who have strengthened and illuminated the Church of Christ.
Glorify, O holy and glorious martyrs of Sebastia, renowned for your miracles.
Kondak 5
The divine stars of Christ have appeared, O holy ones, shining in the icy lake of Sebastia on that night, and, not being deceived by the warmth of the bath, they sang to God with the angels:
All-hail
Ikos 5
Having seen the holy ones, one of them, having been separated from the rest, was afraid of the night’s cold and hid in a warm bath, and thus died; but the others, calling out to the Lord, asked Him to strengthen them in their endurance and to glorify His name. We call out to you thus:
Glorify, O glorious conquerors, who have overcome all the snares of the enemy.
Be glad, O ones who stood all night in the lake.
Glorify, O ones who, united in your prayer, called out to the Lord.
Be glad, O ones who, in your endurance, received swift help from the Lord.
Glorify, O ones who have been illuminated by the divine light from heaven.
Be glad, O ones who have received the radiant crowns from heaven.
Glorify, O holy and glorious martyrs of Sebastia, renowned for your miracles.
Kondak 6
The preachers of the wondrous miracle, who were in the bath, told how, in the night, the heavenly light illuminated the martyrs, melted the ice, and changed the cold into warmth, and, having heard this, the tormentors were enraged with even greater malice, not knowing how to pray to God:
All-hail
Ikos 6
The light that appeared in the lake illuminated also the heart of one of the guards, who, having taken off his garments, threw himself into the lake to join the holy martyrs, and thus filled the place of the one who had fallen away, and thus the prince of darkness was put to shame, rejoicing in the diminishment of the sufferings of the martyrs; to whom we now cry out thus:
Glorify, O Christ’s martyrs, who, through your prayers and endurance, have turned the joy of the devil into sorrow.
Be glad, O ones who have delivered us from the wickedness and cunning of the enemy.
Glorify, O ones who have been enlightened by the grace of the Holy Spirit in the icy water.
Be glad, O ones who, through your standing in the lake, have crushed the head of the thinking serpent.
Glorify, O full forty, who have presented yourselves to Christ with joy.
Be glad, O ones who, through faith, endurance, and suffering for Christ, have inherited the blessedness of the heavenly kingdom.
Glorify, O holy and glorious martyrs of Sebastia, renowned for your miracles.
Condak 7
Although the wondrous martyrs desired to preserve their faith in Christ unblemished, to glorify their military prowess and to entreat their tormentors in no way, nor to endure any fierce sufferings, as bodiless ones, they endured, singing to God:
Alleluia
Icos 7
The new and last holy ones received martyrdom, for their limbs were crushed by whips, and thus they completed the feat of suffering, receiving from God imperishable crowns. Therefore, we proclaim in their praise thus:
Rejoice, O beautiful shoots of the garden of Jesus, not cut down by sickles, but by whips.
Rejoice, vessels of the divine grace, crushed for the name of Christ.
Rejoice, having gloriously completed the feat of suffering.
Rejoice, having been received into the fellowship of the angelic choirs.
Rejoice, as followers of the prophets and apostles, having been reverently encountered.
Rejoice, as a great glory of the Christian race.
Rejoice, O holy forty martyrs of Sebastia, renowned wonderworkers.
Condak 8
The wondrous mother of Saint Meliton showed a strange virtue, for when she saw the bodies of the martyrs being led to be burned, her own son still alive, she took him on her shoulders, and having breathed her last, she sang to God:
Alleluia
Icos 8
The ferocity of the beasts was revealed by the tormentors, when they ordered the holy bodies of the martyrs to be burned by fire and their ashes to be thrown into the river, so that the memory of them might be destroyed from the earth, but they were put to shame; however, the Lord glorified them in eternal generations before angels and men; therefore, we call out to them:
Rejoice, having passed through fire and water, as the psalmist said.
Rejoice, as fellow-sufferers with Christ.
Rejoice, as those who have overthrown the enemies of Christ.
Rejoice, as intercessors for Christians before the Lord.
Rejoice, as those who have firmly established themselves in orthodoxy.
Rejoice, as unwearied intercessors for the Christian race.
Rejoice, O holy forty martyrs of Sebastia, renowned wonderworkers.
Condak 9
All Christians were greatly amazed, for the bones of the holy martyrs shone like stars in the river at night, and having been collected with reverence, they provide abundant healings to the faithful, so that we may sing to God:
Alleluia
Ikos 9
Thou ancient prophet, enlightened by the Divine Spirit, in the psalm didst prophesy of the end of the faithful: “I have passed through fire and water, and Thou hast brought us to rest”; and ye, holy martyrs, have fulfilled this deed. Therefore, we beseech you to accept our praises:
Rejoice, fulfillers of the prophecy of David.
Rejoice, keepers of the faith of Christ until the end.
Rejoice, your sufferings, like gold in the crucible, have purified you.
Rejoice, great intercessors before God, who have saved us from harm.
Rejoice, helpers in our sorrows.
Rejoice, guides to salvation for our souls.
Rejoice, holy forty martyrs of Ssevastia, glorious wonderworkers.
Kondak 10
You are our helpers in salvation, holy passion-bearers, and therefore we fervently turn to you: help us by your intercession to spend the remaining time of our life in repentance and to pray to God with gratitude:
Alleluia
Ikos 10
Protect us with the wall of your prayers, holy martyrs, from all evil and the snares of the enemy, that we, being guarded by you, may glorify you thus:
Rejoice, Cyriene, Candida, and Domna, teachers of the Divine Scripture.
Rejoice, Angelina and Aetia, glorious ones who have ascended to heaven in spirit.
Rejoice, Afanias, Aglaia, Vivia, and Gorgonia, who have loved Christ the God.
Rejoice, Ecdit, Gaius, Eunomius, Eutychius, Domitian, and John, who have laid down their souls for Christ.
Rejoice, Isidore, Irene, Cyril, Claudius, Lysimachus, and Leonidas, who have received heavenly blessings.
Rejoice, Ilia and Ilia, who have rivalled the prophet Elijah.
Rejoice, holy forty martyrs of Ssevastia, glorious wonderworkers.
Kondak 11
We offer you hymns of praise, holy martyrs, because for the love of Christ you did not spare your flesh. Therefore, your memory shines like a bright light in the Church, enlightening the spirits of the faithful, who sing to God:
Alleluia
Ikos 11
We see you shining with heavenly light, glorious passion-bearers of Christ, standing before the Throne of the Holy Trinity and offering prayers with boldness for the sake of peace; therefore, we hymn you thus:
Rejoice, passion-bearers of Christ, Nicolaus, Priscus, Smeragdus, Sacerdon, Severian, and Sisinus, conquerors of the enemy’s malice.
Rejoice, Philoctimon and Theophilus, perfecters of divine love.
Rejoice, Chudion, Xanthias, and Flavian, wise warriors of Christ.
Rejoice, Melitons, Theodulus, and Valens, glorious servants of God.
Rejoice, martyrs of Christ, Valeria, Alexandra, and Akakia.
Rejoice, heralds of the spring of Christ through your memory.
Rejoice, holy forty martyrs of Ssevastia, glorious wonderworkers.
Condak 12
By the abundance of Thy grace, the monastery of Xyropotamou is filled, O glorious martyrs and wonderworkers, and we, who celebrate Thy memory with light, are filled with the divine grace through Thy intercessions, that we may sing to the Giver of miracles, the God:
Alleluia
Icos 12
As we sing of Thy holy sufferings, O holy martyrs, we glorify the Lord, who strengthened Thee and crowned Thee with immortal crowns, and as warm intercessors and advocates for the Christian race, we praise Thee thus:
Rejoice, heavenly stars, that shone forth from Sebasia.
Rejoice, spiritual moon, that ascended from earth to heaven.
Rejoice, intellectual sun, that enlightens our sorrows.
Rejoice, as in the trials of fasting and prayer, You comfort us.
Rejoice, as the forty holy pillars of Christ’s Church.
Rejoice, as the guardians and protectors of all the faithful.
Rejoice, O holy forty martyrs of Sebasia, glorious wonderworkers.
Condak 13
O holy martyrs of Sebasia, glorious conquerors of the deceit of the wicked, by Thy intercession, ask the Lord for us victory over the soul-destroying passions and worldly pride, that, having lived in repentance, we may be worthy of the Kingdom of Heaven, singing to God:
Alleluia
(This condak is read three times, followed by Icos 1 and Condak 1)
Prayer
O holy, glorious martyrs of Christ, who in the city of Sebasia suffered for Christ’s sake with courage, having passed through fire and water, and having entered into the rest of the Heavenly Kingdom, as friends of Christ, you have great boldness before the Holy Trinity to intercede on behalf of the Christian race, especially on behalf of those who honor Thy holy memory and call upon Thee with faith and love. Ask the All-Merciful God for the forgiveness of our sins and the correction of our life, that, living in repentance and sincere love for one another, we may stand before the fearful Judge Christ with boldness, and through Thy intercession, we may stand on the right hand of the righteous Judge. You, O servants of God, be our protectors from all visible and invisible enemies, that we may be delivered from all evils, troubles, and afflictions until the last day of our life, and thus we may glorify the great and venerable name of the Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now and always, and forever and ever. Amen.