Saint Demetrios of Thessaloniki: soldier, martyr, myrrh-streamer

The Orthodox Church commemorates Saint Demetrios today. He was born around 280-284 AD into an aristocratic family in Thessaloniki. He rose quickly in the Roman army and held the rank of chiliarch by age twenty-two. Serving under the tetrarch Galerius Maximian during the reign of Diocletian, he became a Christian and was imprisoned in 303 AD for refusing to obey Diocletian's edict to renounce Christianity.

Before his arrest he had founded a group of young people for the study of Holy Scripture. In prison he met a young Christian named Nestor, who was to face the feared gladiator Lyaios in single combat. Nestor asked Demetrios for help; the saint gave him his blessing.

Nestor defeated Lyaios, provoking the emperor's anger. Both Nestor and Demetrios were then sentenced to death. The most probable date of Demetrios's martyrdom is 306 AD. He is venerated as a myrrh-streaming martyr.