Saints Timothy & Maura
THE PASSION OF THE HOLY MARTYRS
TIMOTHY THE LECTOR & HIS WIFE MAURA
During the Great Persecution, the impious Roman Emperor Diocletian charged Arrian, Governor of the Thebaid, with finding Christians and bringing them to trial. At that time the lector Timothy of the village of Perapea, who had wed the maiden Maura twenty days earlier, was seized by the unbelievers because he was a Christian. The heathen brought him to Arrian, and the Governor asked him, “Who are you and what is your rank?”
“I am a Christian, a reader in God’s church,” replied Timothy.
The prefect said, “Surely you must have heard about the Emperor’s decree commanding a gruesome death for all who fail to sacrifice to the mighty gods.”
Timothy said, “The Spirit of Jesus Christ dwells in me; therefore, I cannot offer oblations to your gods.”
“Do you see the instruments of torture surrounding you?” asked Arrian.
“Do you see God’s angels strengthening me?” Timothy retorted.
“Hand over your books. I wish to learn about your magic,” demanded the Governor.
“Foolish man, who ever handed over his children to destruction?” asked Timothy. “I call my books children, for I copied them myself. God’s angels stand beside me when I read them.”
“So, you will neither sacrifice to the gods nor show me your books? Then you shall learn quickly that insolence will only gain you dire punishment,” said the Governor.
“I am a Christian!” Timothy exclaimed. “I will not sacrifice or show my books to pagans.”
At this the incensed Governor had two burning-hot iron rods thrust into the martyr’s ears. Searing pain shot through Timothy’s head and both his eyeballs popped out of their sockets. “Ha! Your failure to sacrifice has only ruined your eyes,” the servants taunted Timothy.
The saint replied, “The eyes of my body have looked upon much that is unseemly. It is good that they are blind. Now I behold only the Lord Jesus Christ, with my spiritual eyes.”
At this the Governor commanded that Timothy’s hands be tied behind his back, a piece of wood be stuffed into his mouth, and he be hung upside down with a heavy stone tied to his neck. While the persecutor’s men were carrying out the order, Saint Timothy looked up to heaven and said, “God on high can deliver me from these torments.”
So terrible were the sufferings of the martyr that the servants began to feel pity for him and urged Arrian to stop employing torture and to win over Timothy by kindness. They informed the Governor that Timothy had married just twenty days before and that his bride was very young. Straightway, the Governor had her brought before him. “What is your name?” he asked her.
“Maura,” she answered. “I pity you, because you are so young and yet, it seems, about to be widowed,” said the Governor. “Go, don your best jewelry, adorn your hair, put on beautiful clothes, and persuade your husband to offer oblations to the gods, lest you become a widow before your time. If you succeed, I will reward you with gold and silver and other rich gifts.”
Maura did as the Governor ordered. Bedecked in jewelry and fine robes, she begged her husband to submit to the Governor, if only for the moment, in order to escape further tortures; but he could not respond because of the piece of wood stuffed in his mouth. At Maura’s request, the Governor had his men remove the wood; whereupon, Maura drew near to Saint Timothy and he smelled her perfumes. “Where is my father, Pycolpus the presbyter?” cried Timothy.
Pycolpus, who was standing in the crowd, watching his son’s torture, approached the saint and asked, “What do you want, blessed son?”
Timothy answered, “Father, do me this kindness: tie up my face in a rag. I do not wish to smell the soul-destroying perfume on this woman’s robes. Its scent is deadly, ruining men and preparing Gehenna for them. It is the mother of lust, the devil’s mistress, and the enemy of saints. It is loathsome to the righteous.”
Maura asked the saint, “Beloved Timothy, why do you demean me? You have no cause for complaint against me. Scarcely twenty days have passed since our wedding. You hardly know me, and I am still a stranger in your house. My conduct has been above every suspicion, for I have not betrayed you even by a word or a glance at table. I see you suffer blamelessly and my heart suffers with you. My heart is heavy as I ponder how, at so young an age, I am to be left a widow. Are creditors hounding you? Is this why you have surrendered yourself to death? If so, then we shall sell our best apparel, redeem your debts, and silence the threats and demands. Are your taxes in arrears? Then we shall sell our wedding plate, our golden jewelry, and my bridal finery, and we shall satisfy the authorities.”
“Maura, my sister, with inner eyes I saw you leaving our house with the devil walking at your right side,” said Saint Timothy. “He held a key for turning your heart back to the world.”
“Timothy, my brother, if you do not save your life, I shall be devastated,” wept Maura. “I cannot bear the thought of life without you. And on Saturdays and Sundays, who will read your books in church?”
“O Maura, renounce the vanity of this fleeting world and join me in the noble contest!” Timothy entreated his bride. “If we voluntarily accept death for His sake, God our Saviour will forgive our sins and deem us worthy of crowns.”
Maura replied, “When I came here, my heart was in thrall to this world, but as you speak, God’s grace is descending upon me. O beloved brother, your desire is mine also.”
“If this be true, go, reproach the Governor for impiety,” urged Saint Timothy.
“I am afraid to do so, brother,” admitted Maura. “I am only seventeen years old. I fear the persecutor’s wrath and the tortures.”
Saint Timothy said, “Trust in our Lord Jesus Christ, and the torments shall be like oil poured out upon your body or like dew dropping upon your bones. You will feel no pain.” After this Timothy prayed for Maura, saying, “God of all grace, Thou didst grant Thine aid unto the Three Children in the flames and didst rescue Daniel from the jaws of the lions, sending the prophet Habbakuk with food to strengthen him. Thou didst show Thy love for the captives in the lion’s den and the fiery furnace, making them prophets and martyrs. And now, Lord, O Lord, Who hast united us in wedlock, do Thou look down upon Thy handmaiden Maura and unite us in the struggle, that we not be cut off from the choir of Thy holy martyrs. Grant us strength to endure torture and death for Thy sake bravely. May our adversaries be put to shame and fail to break the unity we share in Christ our Lord, unto Whom, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, be glory forever. Amen.”
After Saint Timothy had said this prayer, Maura, moved by the Holy Spirit, presented herself to Arrian and declared, “O impious Governor! Hoping to destroy me, you offered me silver and gold. You promised gold because you desire the damnation of human souls; but you face certain defeat, because I stand before you armed with all the weaponry of my Lord Jesus Christ.”
Turning to his men, Arrian said, “I knew Timothy was a warlock. He has put a spell on his wife, and now she is joining him in opposing us.” Then he said to Maura, “Can it be that you prefer death to life? Think it over, and understand that you are exchanging pleasures for torments. You foresee your husband’s death and your own widowhood, and out of despair you have resigned yourself to die with him. Do not be troubled: I will marry you to my foremost centurion. He is a man of substance, and you will enjoy a happy life with him. Your second husband shall be a man of far higher rank than your first.”
The blessed Maura answered, “I have renounced every worldly vanity. I do not want your centurion. I tell you truly that I have been united in spiritual wedlock with the celestial Bridegroom, Jesus Christ, the Son of God. With firm trust in Him and a brave heart, I stand before you, not fearing in the least your unjust judgment.”
The enraged Governor ordered Maura’s hair torn out. When none was left, he taunted her, “See, you are entirely bald now. I advise you to sacrifice to the gods, unless you wish to undergo torments far worse than this.”
Maura replied, “O Governor, I began by obeying your wicked command, but Christ accepted me in repentance and forgave the sin I committed in ignorance. I adorned my hair in order to lead astray my blessed husband, so it is fitting that it has been pulled out. With my hair a heavy sin has been removed from me. You have done well to pull out my hair, for it will no longer be a cause of temptation to men.”
At this the Governor flew into a fury and ordered that Maura’s fingers be cut off and flung away. Saint Maura said to him, Although you do not realize it, you do me a great favor by cutting off the fingers I used to bedeck myself with vain adornments. By removing my fingers, you remove my second sin; therefore, I stand before you joyfully. Whatever tortures you devise, I am prepared to face them.” The Governor was amazedby her steadfastness.
Timothy’s father, the presbyter Pycolpus, was standing nearby in the crowd. Seeing her fortitude, he asked Maura, “Good daughter, how did you endure the cutting off of your fingers?” Saint Maura replied, “Why, father, when my fingers were cut off, I felt no more pain than does a bush when its branches are pruned and thrown away.”
Next Arrian commanded twelve soldiers to boil Saint Maura in a kettle. The saint was hurled into the seething water, but not harmed at all. As she stood in the cauldron, Maura cried to the Governor, “Again I thank you, this time for cleansing all the sins I have committed in this world! Now I can approach my God with a pure heart and receive the crown of life. For the sufferings I endure at your hands Christ my Lord shall bestow on me salvation. But it seems to me you were in a hurry when heating this water. It is still frigid and as powerless to harm me as the previous tortures.”
Again the Governor was moved to wrath. He suspected that, out of pity for the young woman, the soldiers had removed boiling water and poured in cold instead, thinking that if they saved her life, she might bestow her favors upon them. Rushing down from the tribunal to the cauldron, he ordered the saint, “Pour a little of the water on my hands. I want to know if it really is cold.”
“I assure you, it is very cold,” said the martyr. “If you are out of firewood, send to my father for more. He is a carpenter and always has wood on hand.” The saint said this to mock Arrian. Then she poured a little water from the cauldron onto the Governor’s hands, scalding them terribly. The skin came off, and he screamed in pain, crying, “Blessed is the God of Maura! There is no God other than He Who glorifies her.”
After this, Arrian released Maura, but before she could be on her way, the devil entered his heart again and persuaded him to scorn salutary faith in God and a clean conscience. Arrian shouted to the martyr, “Maura, trust no more in Christ, but sacrifice to the gods!”
The saint answered, “I will never sacrifice to idols, for Christ defends me.”
“If you do not sacrifice, I will stuff your mouth with hot coals,” the Governor threatened.
The saint replied, “You are insane, and oblivious to what you are doing. Fill my mouth with burning coals, and every sin of speech I have committed will be purged. When my Lord revealed His glory to Isaiah and permitted him to hear the singing of angels, He sent a seraphim with tongs holding a burning coal from the altar, because He wished to cleanse the prophet’s sins. Touching the coal to the lips of the prophet, the angel declared, Behold, this hath touched thy lips, and will take away thine iniquities, and will purge away thy sins. The prophet was forgiven his sins when a single coal touched his lips, but I beg you not just to fill my mouth with hot coals, but to cover my face and head whole body with them, that I may be consumed by fire and become a sweet savor unto Chnst. This way, my sins will be cleansed as were the prophets.
Hearing this, the Governor became enraged again and intending to sear the martyr, ordered that a lamp be brought with tar and pitch. The onlookers cried, “This young woman’s patience is amazing! Governor, it is enough. How many more tortures do you intend for her?”
At this, Saint Maura addressed the people, saying, “Let each of you look to himself. Men, tend to your affairs; women, tend to yours. Let each mind his own, abiding in purity and meekness. I do not require your mediation or help, for God is my Defender, and I trust in Him.”
When Maura had said this, the Governor commanded that she be burned with the lamp. “Do you think you can frighten me with a little lamp?” the saint taunted him. “You have already immersed me in a boiling kettle, and the water became cold, so that I was not harmed, while your hands were scalded. Is the lamp more fearsome than the cauldron? But Governor, if you again wish to see the power of Christ, Whose servant I am, heat a mighty furnace and cast me into it. God called me to join my blessed husband Timothy in this struggle, and He will never forsake me. I am enjoying the flame of the lamp with which you are burning my flesh. It seems to me like the morning dew that settles upon the earth and causes trees to blossom and bear fruit.”
Every cruelty having failed, Arrian was left without reply. Put to silence and at a loss for more savage tortures, he became very downcast. At length, he ordered Timothy and Maura to be crucified facing each other.
While the saints were on their way to crucifixion, they were met by Maura’s mother, who embraced her daughter and cried, “Maura, my child, I have been searching for you! Why are you forsaking your mother? Daughter, if you die, who will inherit your gold and silver jewelry and fine clothes?”
Saint Maura silenced her mother with these words: “Gold and silver perish, moths will consume my clothing, and time ages a young face and causes its beauty to fade, but the crown that Jesus Christ gives me is imperishable.” Then, tearing herself out of the arms of her mother, Maura reproved her with these words: “Why are you intent on keeping me from the cross? You should be happy if I die as did my Lord and have the joy of entering His presence soon.”
The soldiers crucified the saints facing each other, and for nine days and nights the blessed Timothy and Maura hung upon crosses, consoling and exhorting each other. Saint Timothy instructed his wife all day, and Saint Maura encouraged her husband all night. The blessed Maura said to Saint Timothy, “Let us remain awake. When our Lord comes, may He not find us asleep and be wroth with us. When a man is awake at night, his burning lamp keeps thieves away. When the lamp is extinguished, however, the thief enters the house and steals what he wants. So let us not sleep, but devote ourselves to prayer. This way, the Lord will find us patiently awaiting His coming, and the enemy will not dare to steal up and tempt us as we hang here.”
A little later Saint Maura said to Saint Timothy, “Wake up, brother; drive away sleep and hear this: I was in ecstasy and a man appeared to me, holding a cup full of milk and honey. ‘Take this and drink,’ he said.
‘”Who are you,’ I asked.
“He answered, ‘One of God’s angels.’
‘”If so, then pray for me to the Lord,’ I told him.
‘”When I saw that you had eaten and drunk nothing until now, I knew you must be hungry and thirsty,’ he said. ‘I have come to ease your suffering.’
“I demanded, and who was it that sent you to show mercy to me, the unworthy? What is my suffering, my hunger and thirst, to you? For those who pray to Him, God makes possible the impossible.’ So saying, I began to pray, and the man turned his face away from me and towards the west. Then he disappeared. From this I understood that the vision was a satanic illusion intended to tempt us as we hung upon the cross.”
‘After this another man drew near and led me to a river flowing with milk and honey, or so it seemed. ‘Drink,’ he said.
“I replied, ‘I will not quench my thirst with any earthly liquid until I drink the cup of death for Christ my Lord. The Savior Himself is preparing that cup for me, pouring in salvation and life everlasting.’ When I said this, the man drank from the river and straightway disappeared, and the river with him.” Again, I saw a third man, this one of wondrous appearance: his face shone like the sun. Having taken me by the hand, he led me up to heaven and showed me a throne, on which were white robes and a beautiful crown. Marveling at their splendor, I asked my guide, ‘ Whose are these, my lord?’’
‘”They are yours, Maura, the reward for your struggle,’ he answered.
“Then he led me higher and showed me another throne on which were white robes and a beautiful crown. I asked him ‘And whose are these, my lord?’
“He replied, ‘These belong to your husband Timothy.’
“I made bold to ask him, ‘Why is one throne set higher than the other?’
“He explained, ‘There is a great difference between you and your husband. It was because of his exhortation that you entered the contest of martyrdom and have won a crown. And now, Maura, it is time for you to return to the body. In the morning, at the sixth hour, angels will take your souls to heaven. Nevertheless, remain vigilant, because the foe may tempt you again.”’
When Saint Maura told this to her spiritual brother Saint Tiinothy, both were consoled in the Lord.
At the sixth hour of the tenth day, God’s angels came to take the holy martyrs’ souls. Saint Maura cried to the onlookers, “Brothers and sisters! As you know, we led an ordinary life among you; nevertheless, we have accomplished the will of God, Whose servants we are. Soon we shall receive imperishable crowns from our Lord Jesus Christ. You also, while attending to your daily tasks, should do what is pleasing to God, that your sins may be forgiven and you may receive crowns from the Master.”
When the blessed Maura had said this, both martyrs surrendered their souls into the hands of God, having completed the good contest of suffering for Jesus Christ our Lord, unto be glory forever, with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
O holy martyrs Timothy and Maura, pray unto God for us!
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The Passion of the Holy Martyrs Timothy the Lector & His Wife Maura was translated from the Russian by Father Thomas Marreta and published in The Great Collection of the Lives of the Saints, Volume IX, Chrysostom Press, 2022, and is reproduced with the permission of the Saint Herman of Alaska Brotherhood.
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