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Confessor4th century

Confessors Eugene and Macarius Presbyters at Antioch

died 363

Also known as Eugene · Macarius · the Confessors of Antioch

Two priests of Antioch who boldly opposed Julian the Apostate and were exiled to a desert oasis in Arabia, where they reposed.

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Commemorated as

The Holy Confessors Eugene and Macarius, Presbyters of the Church of Antioch

Life

Eugene and Macarius were presbyters of the Church of Antioch in the fourth century, remembered together as confessors who openly opposed the emperor Julian the Apostate. When called before Julian during his reign (361-363) and required to take part in pagan worship, the two priests refused and denounced the emperor for his apostasy. They were subjected to severe tortures, which the synaxarion records they endured with prayer.

Following their torture, Eugene and Macarius were sent into exile at Oasim, an oasis in the Arabian desert. There they withdrew to a cave and lived an ascetic life until their deaths, which the tradition places in the year 363. They are commemorated jointly on February 19.

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Champions of Orthodoxy, teachers of purity and of true worship,
the enlighteners of the universe and the adornment of hierarchs:
all-wise fathers Eugene and Macarius, your teachings have gleamed with light upon all things.
Intercede before Christ God to save our souls.

Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).

Timeline3 momentsReadHide
  1. 361-363Trial before Julian the ApostateAs presbyters of Antioch, Eugene and Macarius were brought before the emperor Julian and refused to participate in pagan worship, boldly denouncing him for his apostasy. They were given over to fierce tortures, which they bore with prayer.
  2. after the torturesExile to the Arabian desertThe two confessors were sent in chains into exile at Oasim, an oasis in the Arabian desert. By tradition the local people warned them away from a cave said to harbor an enormous serpent; the saints prayed, and the account relates that a lightning bolt destroyed the creature, after which Eugene and Macarius settled in the cave and lived as ascetics.
  3. 363ReposeThe synaxarion relates that the confessors prayed to die together and reposed at the same time in the year 363, the same year in which Julian's reign ended.

Contributions & Legacy

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Historical Context

The brief reign of Julian the Apostate (361-363) saw a deliberate imperial effort to revive paganism and to marginalize Christians who had been favored under Constantine and his successors. Antioch, a major Christian center where Julian himself resided for a period, was a focal point of these tensions. Eugene and Macarius belong to the company of clergy who refused the emperor's demands and suffered exile or worse as a result.

Because they confessed Christ under persecution and were exiled rather than put to death outright, the tradition remembers them as confessors. The surviving accounts of their lives are brief and are preserved chiefly in synaxarion notices for February 19.

Companions1 figureShowHide
Fellow presbyter of the Church of Antioch martyred under Julian the Apostate when he refused to surrender the church's sacred vessels.
Theodoritusof Antioch
Related Saints5 saintsShowHide

Saints connected to his life, mission, and place in Orthodox tradition.

Presbyter martyred under Julian the Apostate, of the same persecution that exiled Eugene and Macarius.
Martyr Basilof Ancyra
Bishop tortured under Julian the Apostate for destroying a pagan temple, of the same persecution.
MarkBishop of Arethusa
Deacon martyred under Julian the Apostate, of the same persecution.
Cyrilthe Deacon of Heliopolis
Martyred under Julian the Apostate, of the same persecution.
Martyr Eupsychiusof Caesarea
Soldier-martyrs of Antioch put to death under Julian the Apostate, of the same persecution in the same city.
Martyrs Juventinus & Maximinus

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Sources: OCA Synaxarion (oca.org), Feb 19