Venerable-Martyr 7th century

Martyr Anastasius Disciple of St. Maximus

died 662

A disciple of St. Maximus the Confessor who shared his master's sufferings and exile for the true faith.

Feast Day

January 21

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Commemorated as

The Holy Martyr and Confessor Anastasius, Disciple of Saint Maximus the Confessor

Life

Anastasius was a disciple of Saint Maximus the Confessor who, with his teacher, suffered persecution under the Monothelites during the seventh-century controversy over whether Christ possessed one will or two. The synaxarion commemorates him on January 21, the same day as Saint Maximus, with whom he shared exile and a martyr's confession of the faith.

According to the synaxarion, Anastasius endured the same brutal punishment inflicted on his master: his tongue was cut out and his right hand was cut off, mutilations intended to silence both speech and writing in defense of the orthodox confession of two wills in Christ. He was then exiled, and the account relates that he died in the year 662.

Anastasius is remembered not only as a confessor who shared his teacher's sufferings but as a witness to his life: the tradition records that he wrote the Life of his teacher, preserving the memory of Saint Maximus's struggle and martyrdom. He is venerated as a Venerable-Martyr and Confessor.

Contributions & Legacy

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Companion in the Monothelite Struggle

The conflict in which Anastasius suffered concerned Monothelitism, the seventh-century teaching that Christ possessed only a single, divine will. Saint Maximus the Confessor became the foremost defender of the doctrine that Christ possesses two wills, human and divine, corresponding to his two natures. As Maximus's disciple, Anastasius stood with him through trial, condemnation, and the punishments that followed.

The synaxarion describes the company being exiled to Skemarum in Scythia, enduring many sufferings and difficulties on the journey. The mutilation of the tongue and right hand—the same penalty borne by Saint Maximus—was meant to end the confessors' ability to proclaim or record their faith, yet the tradition holds that Anastasius continued to bear witness through the written Life of his teacher.

A Note on Identity

Maximus the Confessor is recorded in the wider historical sources as having had two disciples named Anastasius—Anastasius the Monk and Anastasius the Apocrisiarius—both of whom shared his exile and confession. The synaxarion entry commemorated on January 21 telescopes these closely associated figures into a single martyr-disciple who suffered the same mutilation as Maximus and recorded his teacher's life.

Sources: OCA Synaxarion (oca.org), Jan 21