Martyr 4th century

Martyr Aboudimos of Tenedos

3rd century – 305

Also known as Abudimus

A Christian of the island of Tenedos who refused to take part in pagan worship and was beheaded for Christ under Diocletian.

Feast Day

July 15

Flagged

Aboudimos was beheaded for confessing Christ — The anchor row says he 'was beheaded for Christ' but the dossier external sources (Wikipedia, OCA) never specify beheading as the mode of execution — they say he 'died in 305' and was 'martyred for his faith' without specifying beheading. The anchor row does use the word 'beheaded', so this is actually supported by the anchor. Re-evaluating: the anchor row states 'was beheaded for Christ under Diocletian' — so beheading is in the anchor. SUPPORTED.
Aboudimos lived during the persecution under Diocletian, traditionally dated to his death in the year 305 — The phrasing 'traditionally dated to his death in the year 305' is grammatically ambiguous — the participial phrase 'traditionally dated to his death in the year 305' modifies 'persecution', suggesting the persecution is dated to 305. The Diocletian persecution began in 303 and ran until 311/313 — it is not dated to 305. The death year 305 is supported, but calling the persecution 'traditionally dated to his death in the year 305' is a confused construction that misattributes the date. This is a minor drafting issue, not a factual fabrication, but 'traditionally dated to his death in the year 305' as a phrase describing the persecution is unsupported and misleading.

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Life

Aboudimos (also rendered Abudimus or Abudemius) was a Christian martyr of the island of Tenedos, in the Aegean Sea opposite the ancient city of Troy (modern Bozcaada, in Çanakkale Province, Turkey). He is counted among the first Christians put to death on the island during the persecution of Diocletian in the early fourth century.

According to his commemoration, Aboudimos refused to take part in pagan worship — specifically declining to consume meat that had been sacrificed to idols — and was beheaded for confessing Christ. He is venerated as a saint in both the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic traditions, with his feast kept on July 15.

Contributions & Legacy

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Martyrdom under Diocletian

Aboudimos lived during the persecution of the Church under the emperor Diocletian, traditionally dated to his death in the year 305. Sources describe him as a courageous confessor who would not participate in the pagan sacrificial rites demanded of Christians in that period.

The particular occasion of his arrest is recorded as his refusal to eat meat offered to idols, an act of public worship from which he would not abstain in conscience. For this confession of faith he was executed by beheading on Tenedos, among the earliest Christians of the island to suffer for Christ.

The Island of Tenedos

Tenedos (Greek and Roman name; the modern Bozcaada) lies in the Aegean Sea off the coast of Asia Minor, opposite the site of ancient Troy. The island retained a substantial Greek Orthodox population through the centuries.

Its diocese was placed under the metropolitanate of Mytilene in the ninth century and was raised to a metropolitanate of its own in the early fourteenth century; in 1925 the local Orthodox Church became part of the Metropolis of Imbros and Tenedos. The Church of the Dormition of the Mother of God remained a prominent Orthodox structure on the island.

Sources: OCA Synaxarion (oca.org), Lives of the Saints