September 13, 2021 | Saint Aristides | Greek Orthodox Divine Liturgy Live Steam

On September 13th the Orthodox Church honors and celebrates Saint Aristides, the illustrious and blessed philosopher of Athens and all-praised martyr of Christ, who has remained known in Ecclesiastical History and Patrology for his famous apology on behalf of persecuted Christians.

This celebrated Christian philosopher, fiery apologist and glorious martyr of the second century was born in Athens and studied classical philosophy in the famous Philosophical School of Athens. He embraced the reverence and faith of the one true God from the enlightened hierarchs of the Apostolic Church of Athens, Saint Hierotheos and Saint Dionysius the Areopagite, whose disciple he was. He became a staunch defender of Christianity and Christians, having struggled with his famous apologetic work in a particularly difficult and critical time for the state of the Church. At the same time he managed to establish the correctness and superiority of the Christian faith, the truths of the Gospel of Christ, the excellent character of the Christians and the unjust and cruel attitude of the Roman Empire against the Christians. His unwavering faith in Christ and his struggle for persecuted Christians and the truths of Christianity created intense discomfort and resentment to the Roman Emperor Hadrian (117-138 A.D.), who decided on his exile. He went to Rome to defend himself, but then was moved to Athens, where he continued to preach Christ in spite of the many tortures incurred. At the end of his earthly life he was brought to the market in Athens, where he suffered the agonizing death of hanging on September 13, 120 or 134 AD, the day on which the Orthodox Church commemorates and celebrates his all-honored memory.

His fiery faith and fighting spirit are hymned and honored within his Service of Praise, which was written in 1990 by the Great Hymnographer of the Alexandrian Church, Dr. Haralambis M. Bousias. This same gifted hymnographer wrote in 2006 the Supplication Service and in 2009 the Akathist Oikos' in honor of the Saint.

Watch live from the Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Isidoroi at Lycabettus hill, the Matins/Orthros and the Divine Liturgy ( Saint Aristides of Athens). The small church of Saint isidoroi belongs to the Holy Archdiocese of Athens and is located on the west side of Lycabettus Hill in Athens, built inside the largest cave on the hill. According to tradition, this cave was a place of ascetic life of the Christians of the first centuries.