The holy martyr Hippolytus .

After the martyrdom of the holy archdeacon Laurentius [see his life on the tenth of this month], blessed Hippolytus, a military commander and a prison guard, honorably buried the remains of the martyr, who was first a prisoner for him, and then became a teacher; blessed Hippolytus returned home only on the third day after the burial.

All his household, <unk> nineteen men of both sexes, <unk> were Christians, <unk> they were instructed in the truths of the Christian faith and then baptized by St. Lawrence.

With all the household, the blessed Hippolytus after the common house prayer took part in the Divine Mysteries of the Body and Blood of Christ, and then, after taking the spiritual food, a meal was offered to strengthen the body; but before they began, the soldiers came and took the blessed Hippolytus and brought him to King Decius [Emperor 249-251 A.D.].

"I am not a sorcerer", replied the blessed Hippolytus, "but a Christian". Then the enraged king ordered that he be stoned to death, and then that his Christian clothes be taken off. "You have not made me naked, but you clothe me with more precious clothes", said the blessed Hippolytus. "Are you not even more reverent of the gods, if you are so foolish and are not ashamed of your nakedness?" asked the king.

"I am wise, but not foolish", said the blessed Hippolytus, "for I am clothed in Christ. I was once foolish when I served the demons like you, I was then naked when I did not have the grace of Christ, but now I am a Christian.

"Oh, that I had the fate of St. Lawrence, whose name thou, hanged with thy filthy mouth, shouldst not utter!" cried the blessed Hippolytus. The king commanded him to be stretched out upon the ground and beaten mercilessly with sticks; and the holy martyr at that time cried out loudly: "I am a Christian!"

"Remember your military rank, and be our friend, and sacrifice with us". "I am a soldier of Christ, my Saviour, and I am ready to die for Him", answered the blessed.

On the same day the messengers of Valerian plundered the estate of the blessed Hippolytus; when they learned that the house of Hippolytus had found believers in Christ, Valerian ordered them to be brought to him: among those brought was also the nurse of Hippolytus, named Concordia.

But Concordia answered, We would rather die with honor for our Lord Jesus Christ, than to live among you wicked men.

"The race of slaves can only be healed by wounds", said Valerian, and ordered Concordia to be battered with tin rods; during the beatings the holy martyr gave her soul to the Lord. Here, under the watch of soldiers, was the blessed Hippolytus. Seeing the martyrdom of his nurse, he exclaimed with joy: "I thank Thee, Lord, that Thou hast chosen my nourisher among Thy saints in Thy kingdom".

"Do you still hope in magic, and do not honor the gods, nor obey the king's command?" And in anger, Valerian ordered all to be led out of the city through the Tiburtine gates with Hippolytus, and there to be put to death.

All who came to this martyr's death, of different sexes and ages, were eighteen men, besides St. Concordia, who was slain in the city.

The holy martyr Ippolytus, together with his household, suffered for Christ on the thirteenth day of August and on the third day after the martyrdom of St. Lawrence.

The body of St. Concordia, though searched most diligently in the city, could not be found; this grieved St. Justin so much that he wept.

When a Christian named Irenaeus learned of this from a soldier, three weeks after the death of the blessed Hippolytus, he took another Christian, Avundus, with him, and took the body of the holy martyr at night, untouched by impurities, and brought it to the presbyter Justinus. The presbyter was very glad and buried the honest remains next to the body of the holy Hippolytus and the other martyrs.

In the morning this was known to Valerian; he ordered Irenaeus and Auvundia to be seized and thrown alive into the filth where they had taken the body of St. Concordia. And both saints died there on the twenty-sixth day of the month of August. St. Julian took their bodies by night and gave them to be buried by the relics of St. Lawrence, glorifying Christ God, glorified with the Father and the Holy Spirit forever.

On the same day, the relics of St. Maximus of Moscow, Christ for the sake of the Jewish, were transferred to the Holy Father, the Bishop of Voronezh, and the relics of St. Tikhon, Bishop of Zadon, were unveiled on the same day.