Those who insist that Christianity is a passive, cowardly, and “pacifist” religion should first read the life of Saint Artemius.

Stylianos Kavazis | July 22, 2026

 

 

The Holy Great-Martyr Artemius, the glorious Patrician and Duke of Egypt, is one of the most illustrious figures of our Church. A man who, from the highest offices of the Roman Empire, ascended to the highest dignity that a man can receive: the crown of a Martyr of Christ.

His memory is celebrated by our Orthodox Church on October 20 each year, and he has been appointed the patron Saint of the Hellenic Police, as well as the patron Saint of Mykonos.

He was not an ascetic of the desert, nor a man who lived far from the world. He was a general. A commander. A man of responsibility, discipline, and action. Tradition closely associates him with Patras, where he oversaw the construction of an aqueduct, while, encamped in the area of the present-day Monastery of Girokomeio, he cared for the poor, the weak, and especially the elderly. For the true ruler does not exercise dominion, but ministers.

It is no coincidence that the first organized hospitals, poorhouses, orphanages, and homes for the elderly arose from Christian love. In a world where a man’s worth was measured by power, wealth, or social position, the Church taught that every human being is an image of God and is worthy of respect, care, and love.

When Emperor Julian the Apostate attempted to revive idolatry and unleashed new persecutions against the Christians in Antioch, Saint Artemius did not remain silent. He took no account of his rank, nor of his own life. He appeared before the emperor and, with boldness, publicly reproved him for the injustices and persecutions against the faithful of Christ.

At that moment, two worlds collided.

On the one hand, there was the arrogance of imperial power, which believed that it could impose the truth by force.

On the other hand, a man who held no sword, but had within him something mightier than every legion: unshakable faith in Christ.

Julian responded as all tyrants throughout the ages respond when they are unable to defeat the truth: with torture.

The Saint’s body was crushed. His bones were broken. His flesh suffered unimaginably. Yet his soul remained standing.

The Martyr conquered.

Not because he prevailed over his adversary, but because he did not bend before fear.

Allow me, however, a personal observation.

Lately, I often hear people who either are ignorant of or have not studied the history of the Church repeating that Christianity is supposedly a passive, timid, or exclusively pacifist religion.

They could not be more mistaken.

Christ taught love, even toward one’s enemy. He never taught cowardice, submission to injustice, or denial of the truth.

The Church never glorified cowards as Saints.

It glorified people who preferred to die rather than betray Christ.

And prominent among them stands an entire host of military Saints.

Saint Artemius.

Saint Demetrius.

Saint George.

Saint Mercurius.

Saint Menas.

Saint Theodore the Commander.

Saint Theodore the Tyro.

Saint Procopius.

Men trained in arms, who demonstrated that Christian courage is identified neither with aggression nor with cowardice. They served their homeland and fulfilled their duty, but when they were asked to sacrifice their faith in order to save their lives or their careers, they chose martyrdom.

This is Christianity.

Not the worship of violence.

But neither the worship of cowardice.

It is the strength to love without hating.

To forgive without yielding to injustice.

To resist falsehood without losing your humanity. To be ready to sacrifice even your life, but never the truth.

A few months later, during his campaign against the Sassanids, Julian was mortally wounded by a spear. The historical sources do not agree as to who dealt the fatal blow. The sacred Tradition of the Church, however, preserves that the Holy Great-Martyr Mercurius, by divine permission, became an instrument of divine justice.

History has its own way of rendering justice. The persecutor departed this world with a spear in his side. The Martyr remained alive in the hearts of millions of the faithful.

Empires crumbled.

Palaces became ruins.

Thrones vanished. Yet Saint Artemius continues to be honored, invoked, and to inspire. For most emperors write history only for a time, but the Saints write eternity.

O Holy Great-Martyr Artemius, glorious commander, fearless confessor of Christ, and protector of those who suffer injustice, intercede for us and grant us the courage always to remain faithful to the truth, whatever the cost. Amen.

Greek source: https://aktines.blogspot.com/2026/07/blog-post_693.html