Friday, 29 August 2025

Beheading of St John the Baptist

Friday of the 12th week after Pentecost

131 days after Pascha · Tone 2 · Red cross circle (great feast typikon symbol) · Fast (Strict Fast (Wine and Oil))

Saints commemorated

★ Beheading of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John

The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist is one of the great feasts of the Lord and his Forerunner, kept by the whole Orthodox Church as a day of strict fasting on account of the grief at the violent death of the Forerunner. The evangelists Matthew and Mark relate how Herod Antipas, tetrarch of Galilee, had imprisoned John for rebuking him for taking to himself Herodias, the wife of his living brother Philip. At a banquet held for the chief men of Galilee on the tetrarch's birthday, the daughter of Herodias danced and so pleased Herod that he swore by oath to grant her whatever she would ask. Prompted by her mother, the girl asked for the head of John the Baptist on a charger; for the sake of his oath and his guests Herod sent the executioner, who cut off the head of the Forerunner in the prison and gave it to the maiden, who carried it to her mother. The disciples of John came and took up his body and laid it in a tomb. Tradition holds that Herodias trampled upon the venerable head and buried it secretly to keep the prophet from rising again. The Forerunner thus completed his course as the Friend of the Bridegroom, going down before Christ even into Hades to announce the glad tidings of his coming. The Orthodox observance of the day is marked by abstinence from food cut by the knife, from food on flat plates, and from anything red or round, in pious sorrow for the unjust death of the Baptist.

Holy New Martyr Anastasius of Bulgaria

Saint Anastasius was a young Bulgarian shepherd from the village of Radolovo near Strumitsa, who as a youth went to seek work in Thessalonica. There he was falsely accused by his Turkish master of having promised to embrace Islam, and dragged before the cadi. Refusing to deny Christ, the eighteen year old confessor was savagely tortured and then condemned to death, and was hanged on 29 August 1794 in Thessalonica before a great crowd of Greeks and Turks. His holy body was rescued by the Christians and afterwards translated to the church of Saint Anastasia in the city, where he is venerated as one of the new martyrs of the Turkish yoke.

Venerable Theodora of Thessalonica

Saint Theodora was born about 812 on the island of Aegina, the daughter of a priest. After the early death of her husband she went with her infant daughter to Thessalonica and there received the monastic tonsure in the Convent of Saint Stephen, taking the name Theodora and entrusting her child to the monastic life under the abbess. She lived as a nun for fifty five years in great humility, obedience and prayer, performing the lowliest tasks and bearing the trials of the community without complaint. After her repose on 29 August 892 her tomb became a source of healing and her relics gave forth fragrant myrrh, and she was glorified as a wonderworker; her life, written shortly after her death by Gregory the Cleric, is one of the treasures of Byzantine hagiography.

Daily readings

Vespers

OT — Composite 8 - Isaiah 40, 41, 45, 48, 54

Thus says the Lord: Comfort, comfort my people, says God. Priests, speak to the heart of Jerusalem. Comfort her, because her humiliation has been completed; for her has sin has been abolished, because she has received from the Lord’s hand double for her sins. A voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight the paths of our God. Every valley will be filled and every mountain and hill made low; what is crooked will become straight, and the rough ways will be made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God. Go up onto a high mountain, you who bring good tidings to Sion; lift up your voice with strength, you who bring good tidings to Jerusalem. Lift it up, do not be afraid. I the Lord God, I, the God of Israel, will hearken and will not forsake them; but I will open rivers from the mountains and springs in the middle of plains. I will turn the wilderness into water meadows and the thirsty earth with water courses. Let the heavens rejoice from on high and let the clouds rain justice. Let the earth sprout and blossom with mercy and justice. Announce a voice of gladness to the end of the earth and let this be heard: Say that the Lord has delivered his servant Jacob. And if they thirst through deserts, he will bring water for them from a rock. Rejoice you barren who have never given birth, break out and shout, you who have never known birth pangs, for the children of the deserted are more than those of her who has a husband.

Vespers

OT — Composite 9 - Malachi 3, 4

Thus says the Lord Almighty: See, I am sending my Angel, my messenger, before your face, who will prepare your way before you. And the Lord whom you seek will come to his temple. And who will endure the day of his entrance? And who will withstand at his appearing? Because he will enter like fire in a smelting furnace and like the lye of launderers. And he will come to you in judgement; and he will be a swift witness against the wicked and against adulteresses and against those swear falsely in his name and those who do not fear him, says the Lord Almighty. Because I am the Lord your God, and I have not changed and you, children of Jacob, have perverted the laws and not kept them. Therefore turn back to me and I will turn back to you, says the Lord Almighty. And all the nations will call you blessed and you will know that I am the Lord who discern between just and lawless on the day on which I make a peculiar possession of those who love me. Know then and remember the law of Moses my servant, as I gave him commandment on Horeb, to all Israel ordinances and judgements. And see, I will send you Elias the Thesbite, before the great and manifest day of the Lord comes; he will turn again the heart of father to son and of a man to his neighbour, lest when I come I smite the earth grievously, says the Lord Almighty, God the Holy One of Israel.

Vespers

OT — Composite 3 - Wisdom of Solomon 4, 5

A just man if he comes to his end will be at rest. A just man who dies will condemn the ungodly who are alive; for they will see the end of a just man and will not understand what they counselled concerning him. For the Lord will break the ungodly, render them voiceless and cast them headlong, and he will shake them from the foundations and they will be utterly worsted in sorrow, and their memory shall perish. They shall come with fear at the accounting of their sins, and their iniquities will convict them to their face. Then the just will stand with much boldness in the face of those who afflicted him and made his toils of no account. When they see this they will be troubled with great fear and will be amazed at the wonder of his salvation. For they will say as they repent and with anguish they will groan and say: Is this he whom we fools once made a laughing stock and a byword of reproach? We reckoned his life folly and his end dishonour. How has he been numbered among the children of God and his lot with the Saints? Therefore we have erred from the way of truth and the light of righteousness has not shone on us and the sun has not dawned on us. We have been filled with paths of lawlessness and destruction and journeyed through trackless paths, but have not known the way of the Lord.

Matins Gospel

Matthew — Matthew 14.1-13

¹At that time Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus,

¹At that season Herod the tetrarch heard the report concerning Jesus, ²And said unto his servants, This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead; and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him. ²and said unto his servants, This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead; and therefore do these powers work in him.

³For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prison for Herodias’ sake, his brother Philip’s wife. ³For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife. ⁴For John said unto him, It is not lawful for thee to have her. ⁴For John said unto him, It is not lawful for thee to have her. ⁵And when he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet. ⁵And when he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet. ⁶But when Herod’s birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced in the midst, and pleased Herod. ⁶But when Herod’s birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and pleased Herod. ⁷Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she would ask. ⁷Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she should ask. ⁸And she, being before instructed of her mother, said, Give me here John Baptist’s head in a charger. ⁸And she, being put forward by her mother, saith, Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist. ⁹And the king was sorry: nevertheless for the oath’s sake, and them which sat with him at meat, he commanded it to be given her. ⁹And the king was grieved; but for the sake of his oaths, and of them that sat at meat with him, he commanded it to be given; ¹⁰and he sent and beheaded John in the prison. ¹⁰And he sent, and beheaded John in the prison. ¹¹And his head was brought on a platter, and given to the damsel: and she brought it to her mother. ¹¹And his head was brought in a charger, and given to the damsel: and she brought it to her mother. ¹²And his disciples came, and took up the body, and buried it, and went and told Jesus. ¹²And his disciples came, and took up the corpse, and buried him; and they went and told Jesus.

¹³Now when Jesus heard it, he withdrew from thence in a boat, to a desert place apart: and when the multitudes heard thereof, they followed him on foot from the cities.

¹³When Jesus heard of it, he departed thence by ship into a desert place apart: and when the people had heard thereof, they followed him on foot out of the cities.

Epistle

weekly cycle

2 Corinthians — 2 Corinthians 7.10-16

¹⁰For godly sorrow worketh repentance unto salvation, a repentance which bringeth no regret: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. ¹⁰For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. ¹¹For behold, this selfsame thing, that ye were made sorry after a godly sort, what earnest care it wrought in you, yea what clearing of yourselves, yea what indignation, yea what fear, yea what longing, yea what zeal, yea what avenging! In everything ye approved yourselves to be pure in the matter. ¹¹For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter. ¹²So although I wrote unto you, I wrote not for his cause that did the wrong, nor for his cause that suffered the wrong, but that your earnest care for us might be made manifest unto you in the sight of God. ¹²Wherefore, though I wrote unto you, I did it not for his cause that had done the wrong, nor for his cause that suffered wrong, but that our care for you in the sight of God might appear unto you. ¹³Therefore we have been comforted: and in our comfort we joyed the more exceedingly for the joy of Titus, because his spirit hath been refreshed by you all. ¹³Therefore we were comforted in your comfort: yea, and exceedingly the more joyed we for the joy of Titus, because his spirit was refreshed by you all. ¹⁴For if in anything I have gloried to him on your behalf, I was not put to shame; but as we spake all things to you in truth, so our glorying also which I made before Titus was found to be truth. ¹⁴For if I have boasted any thing to him of you, I am not ashamed; but as we spake all things to you in truth, even so our boasting, which I made before Titus, is found a truth. ¹⁵And his affection is more abundantly toward you, while he remembereth the obedience of you all, how with fear and trembling ye received him. ¹⁵And his inward affection is more abundant toward you, whilst he remembereth the obedience of you all, how with fear and trembling ye received him. ¹⁶I rejoice that in everything I am of good courage concerning you. ¹⁶I rejoice therefore that I have confidence in you in all things.

Epistle

— Forerunner

Acts — Acts 13.25-33

²⁵And as John fulfilled his course, he said, Whom think ye that I am? I am not he. But, behold, there cometh one after me, whose shoes of his feet I am not worthy to loose. ²⁵And as John was fulfilling his course, he said, What suppose ye that I am? I am not he. But behold, there cometh one after me the shoes of whose feet I am not worthy to unloose. ²⁶Men and brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and whosoever among you feareth God, to you is the word of this salvation sent. ²⁶Brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and those among you that fear God, to us is the word of this salvation sent forth. ²⁷For they that dwell at Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath day, they have fulfilled them in condemning him. ²⁷For they that dwell in Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him. ²⁸And though they found no cause of death in him, yet desired they Pilate that he should be slain. ²⁸And though they found no cause of death in him, yet asked they of Pilate that he should be slain. ²⁹And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a sepulchre. ²⁹And when they had fulfilled all things that were written of him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a tomb. ³⁰But God raised him from the dead: ³⁰But God raised him from the dead: ³¹and he was seen for many days of them that came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses unto the people. ³¹And he was seen many days of them which came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are his witnesses unto the people. ³²And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers, ³²And we bring you good tidings of the promise made unto the fathers, ³³God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. ³³that God hath fulfilled the same unto our children, in that he raised up Jesus; as also it is written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.

Gospel

weekly cycle

Mark — Mark 2.18-22

¹⁸And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast: and they come and say unto him, Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not?

¹⁸And John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting: and they come and say unto him, Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not? ¹⁹And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. ¹⁹And Jesus said unto them, Can the sons of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. ²⁰But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days. ²⁰But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then will they fast in that day. ²¹No man seweth a piece of undressed cloth on an old garment: else that which should fill it up taketh from it, the new from the old, and a worse rent is made. ²¹No man also seweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment: else the new piece that filled it up taketh away from the old, and the rent is made worse. ²²And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles. ²²And no man putteth new wine into old wine-skins; else the wine will burst the skins, and the wine perisheth, and the skins: but they put new wine into fresh wine-skins.

Gospel

— Forerunner

Mark — Mark 6.14-30

¹⁴And king Herod heard of him; (for his name was spread abroad:) and he said, That John the Baptist was risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him.

¹⁴And king Herod heard thereof; for his name had become known: and he said, John the Baptizer is risen from the dead, and therefore do these powers work in him. ¹⁵Others said, That it is Elias. And others said, That it is a prophet, or as one of the prophets. ¹⁵But others said, It is Elijah. And others said, It is a prophet, even as one of the prophets. ¹⁶But when Herod heard thereof, he said, It is John, whom I beheaded: he is risen from the dead. ¹⁶But Herod, when he heard thereof, said, John, whom I beheaded, he is risen. ¹⁷For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and bound him in prison for Herodias’ sake, his brother Philip’s wife: for he had married her. ¹⁷For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife; for he had married her. ¹⁸For John said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother’s wife. ¹⁸For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother’s wife. ¹⁹And Herodias set herself against him, and desired to kill him; and she could not; ¹⁹Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would have killed him; but she could not: ²⁰For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and observed him; and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly. ²⁰for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and kept him safe. And when he heard him, he was much perplexed; and he heard him gladly. ²¹And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee; ²¹And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, and the high captains, and the chief men of Galilee; ²²And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee. ²²and when the daughter of Herodias herself came in and danced, she pleased Herod and them that sat at meat with him; and the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee. ²³And he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom. ²³And he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom. ²⁴And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist. ²⁴And she went out, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptizer. ²⁵And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that thou forthwith give me on a platter the head of John the Baptist. ²⁵And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that thou give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist. ²⁶And the king was exceeding sorry; but for the sake of his oaths, and of them that sat at meat, he would not reject her. ²⁶And the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath’s sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her. ²⁷And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison, ²⁷And straightway the king sent forth a soldier of his guard, and commanded to bring his head: and he went and beheaded him in the prison, ²⁸And brought his head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel: and the damsel gave it to her mother. ²⁸and brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the damsel; and the damsel gave it to her mother. ²⁹And when his disciples heard of it, they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb. ²⁹And when his disciples heard thereof, they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb. ³⁰And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught.

³⁰And the apostles gather themselves together unto Jesus; and they told him all things, whatsoever they had done, and whatsoever they had taught.