List of Eastern Orthodox saint titles explained

The Saints of the Eastern Orthodox Church (and of the Eastern Catholic Churches of the Byzantine Rite) have various customary saint titles with which they are commemorated on the liturgical calendar and in Divine Services.

Many of the titles of saints can overlap with each other (e.g. apostle and disciple) or are at least not mutually exclusive. Some of them are, however, mutually exclusive (e.g. prophet and righteous). Some titles are only given to one saint, very often the Virgin Mary and some titles are also no longer able to be obtained (e.g. apostle).

List

The following list explains the titles and gives an exemplary saint for each title:

• Archangel

an angel of the second lowest rank, whose purpose is to act as a messenger of God to humans; this rank of angel is the only one to have known names^{[1] [2]} (e.g. St. Michael)^[3]

• Apostle

One of the twelve men who followed Jesus and who were sent out on the Great Commission in 28:16-20 to spread the Gospel to all nations;^[4] they may also be simultaneously be called Disciples (although Judas Iscariot was one of the original twelve Apostles, he is never called as such in the Orthodox Church, since his position was filled in by St. Matthias after his suicide)^[5]

• Confessor of the Faith or Confessor: one who suffered for the faith but was not martyred outright^[6] (St. Maximus the Confessor)^[7]
• Disciple

One of the seventy or seventy-two men who were sent by Jesus in pairs to spread the Gospel in 10:1-21 ; they may also simultaneously be called Apostles^[8] (e.g. Philip the Evangelist)^[9]

• Enlightener or Illuminator: the saint who first brought the faith to a people or region, or who did major work of evangelisation there^[10] (e.g. St. Sava of Serbia)^[11]
• Equal-to-the-Apostles

one whose work greatly built up the Church, whether through direct missionary work or through assisting the Church's place in society, but was not one of the twelve Apostles^[12] (e.g. St. Constantine the Great)^[13]

• Evangelist

One of the four men who wrote the four Gospels, as well as any saint who preached the Gospel (e.g. St. Luke the Evangelist)^[14]

• Fool-for-Christ

one known for his apparent, yet holy foolishness or insanity^[15] (e.g. St. Gabriel of Georgia)^[16]

• God-bearing or Theophoros: title given only to St. Ignatius, who according to tradition, was one of the children who went to Jesus in 19:13-14 ^{[17] [18]}
• Healer: a saint who used the power of God to heal maladies and injuries (e.g. St. Tryphon of Campsada)^[19]
• Hieroconfessor: a confessor who is also a clergyman (e.g. St. Martin the Confessor)^[20]
• Hieromartyr

a martyr who is also a clergyman (e.g. St. Philoumenos of Jacob's Well)^[21]

• Intercessor

a saint who prays, or intercedes, on behalf of the living and the dead.^[22] All saints bear this title (e.g. St. Seraphim of Sarov)

• Martyr

literally meaning "witness" in Greek;^[23] one who has died for the faith (e.g. St. Sebastian)^[24]

• Merciful: one known for almsgiving, especially toward the poor (e.g. St. John the Merciful)^[25]
• Myrrhbearers

the first witnesses of the Resurrection of Jesus^[26] (e.g. St. Mary Magdalene)^[27]

• Myroblyte, Myrrh-gusher or Myrrh-streaming: the relics of the saint exude holy and sweet-smelling —and often miraculous—oil (e.g. St. Simeon the Myrrh-streaming)^{[28] [29]}
• New or Younger: title of a saint who shares a name with an earlier saint (e.g. St. Stephen the Younger)^[30]
• New-martyr or Neo-martyr: a martyr, often sharing a name with an earlier one, who was martyred during the Ottoman persecutions^[31] and onwards^[32] (e.g. St. Mary of Paris)^[33]
• Panagia

literally meaning 'all-holy' in Greek;^[34] the title is only given to the Virgin Mary, referring to her position as the holiest of all saints^[35]

• Passion-bearer

one who was killed not for the faith but faced his death in a Christ-like manner^{[36] [37]} (e.g. Tsar Saint Nicholas II)^[38]

• Prophet

a saint under the Old Covenant who anticipated and prophesied Christ and who spoke the word of God^[39] (e.g. St. Elijah)^[40]

• Protomartyr

the first martyr in a given region or time period (in the case of St. Stephen the Protomartyr, the first martyr of the whole Church)^[41]

• Right-Believing

a monarch or ruler who treated the Church and the people well (e.g. St. Vladimir Yaroslavich)^[42]

• Righteous

a holy person under the Old Covenant (Old Testament Israel) who is not a prophet but also a married saint of the New Covenant (the Church) (e.g. St. Job^[43] and St. Fevronia^[44] respectively)

• Saint

from Latin (sanctus), literally meaning "holy one";^[45] a human or angel who is in heaven; one who has been saved, whom the Church on earth has recognised and glorified.^{[46] [47]} All saints bear this title (e.g. St. Publius)^[48]

• Theologian: Has classical meaning, but only three saints are given the appellation Theologian, due to their writings introducing new theological doctrines: St. John the Theologian,^[49] St. Gregory the Theologian,^[50] and St. Symeon the New Theologian.^[51]
• Theotokos or Mother of God: title given only to the Virgin Mary, since she gave birth to Jesus, who Orthodox Christians believe is the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, and thus God^{[52] [53] [54]}
• Unmercenary Healer

a saint who used the power of God to heal maladies and injuries without payment^[55] (e.g. St. Pantaleon)^[56]

• Venerable

a monastic saint; a saint who is a monk or nun (e.g. St. Paisios of Mount Athos)^[57]

• Venerable martyr: a martyred monastic (e.g. St. Andrew the Martyr of Crete)
• Virgin

a female saint who consecrated her life to Christ and made a vow of chastity (e.g. St. Agatha of Palermo)^[58]

• Virgin martyr

a celibate female martyr (e.g. St. Lucy of Syracuse)^[59]

• Wonder-worker

a saint renowned for performing miracles^[60] (e.g. St. Nicholas of Myra)^[61]

See also

• Honorifics
• List of Eastern Orthodox saints

Sources

• Derived with permission from Saint titles at OrthodoxWiki.

External links

• Brief explanation of Orthodox saint titles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylPL-0ERvT0

Notes and References

1. Web site: Orthodox Belief On Angels . 2024-02-13 . Saint George Greek Orthodox Cathedral . en.
2. Web site: Church . Saint John . 2023-08-22 . The Orthodox Church's Teachings Concerning Angels . 2024-08-02 . Saint John the Evangelist Orthodox Church . en-US.
3. Web site: Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and the Other Bodiless Powers . 2024-02-13 . www.oca.org.
4. Web site: The Twelve Apostles - Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America - Orthodox Church . 2024-02-13 . Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America . en-US.
5. Web site: The Orthodox Faith - Volume III - Church History - First Century - Christ and the Apostles . 2024-02-13 . www.oca.org.
6. http://oca.org/FS.NA-Document.asp?SID=4&ID=83 Frawley, Fr. Joseph, "The Glorification of the Saints in the Orthodox Church", The Orthodox Church Newspaper, April-May 2000
7. Web site: The Orthodox Faith - Volume III - Church History - Seventh Century - Saint Maximus the Confessor and Saint Martin of Rome . 2024-02-13 . www.oca.org.
8. Web site: Synaxis of the Seventy Apostles . 2024-02-13 . www.oca.org.
9. Web site: Apostle Philip of the Seventy, One of the Seven Deacons . 2024-02-13 . www.oca.org.
10. Web site: 2020-08-24 . Saint Kosmas the Aitolos, as an Enlightener of Orthodoxy (Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos) . 2024-02-13 . Saint Kosmas Orthodox Education . en-US.
11. Web site: Saint Savva I, first Archbishop of Serbia . 2024-02-13 . www.oca.org.
12. Web site: Saints "Equal-to-the-Apostles" . 2024-02-13 . Eastern Orthodox . en.
13. Web site: Equal of the Apostles and Emperor Constantine with his Mother Helen . 2024-02-13 . www.oca.org.
14. Web site: Apostle and Evangelist Luke . 2024-02-13 . www.oca.org.
15. Web site: Bev Cooke. Holy Fools . 2024-02-13 . OrthoChristian.Com.
16. Web site: Christ . Saint Gabriel of Georgia Confessor of . Saint Gabriel of Georgia - Confessor of Christ . 2024-02-13 . monkgabriel.ge . en.
17. http://orthodoxengland.org.uk/titles.htm "The Titles of the Saints", Orthodox Holiness
18. Web site: Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer, Bishop of Antioch . 2024-02-13 . www.oca.org.
19. Web site: Martyr Tryphon of Lampsacus Near Apamea in Syria . 2024-02-13 . www.oca.org.
20. Web site: Saint Martin the Confessor, Pope of Rome . 2024-02-13 . www.oca.org.
21. Web site: 2012-12-01 . Saint Philoumenos the new Hieromartyr of Jacob’s Well . 2024-02-13 . PEMPTOUSIA . en-US.
22. Web site: The Orthodox Faith - Volume IV - Spirituality - Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving - Intercessory Prayer . 2024-04-25 . www.oca.org.
23. Web site: Sysoyev . Daniel . 13 February 2024 . On martyrdom┃RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CATHEDRAL OF ST.JOHN THE BAPTIST .
24. Web site: The Orthodox Veneration of Saint Sebastian the Martyr . 2024-02-13 . en.
25. Web site: Saint John the Merciful, Patriarch of Alexandria . 2024-02-13 . www.oca.org.
26. Web site: The Myrrh-Bearers. Metropolitan Paul Yazigi . 2024-02-13 . OrthoChristian.Com.
27. Web site: Myrrhbearer and Equal of the Apostles Mary Magdalene . 2024-02-13 . www.oca.org.
28. Web site: Venerable Simon the Myrrh-gusher of Mount Athos . 2024-02-13 . www.oca.org.
29. Web site: Saint Simon the Myrrhgusher, Founder of Simonopetra Monastery . 2024-02-13 . en.
30. Web site: NewsRoom . Monastic Martyr and Confessor Stephen the New Orthodox Times (en) . 2024-08-02 . orthodoxtimes.com/ . en-US.
31. Web site: Greek New Martyrs Under Ottoman Rule: A Case Study . 2024-02-13 . en.
32. Web site: New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia . 2024-02-13 . www.oca.org.
33. Web site: Righteous Martyr Maria (Skobtsova) . 2024-08-02 . www.oca.org.
34. Web site: Kimel . Fr Aidan . 2018-11-25 . Panagia: The Immaculate and Predestined Mother of God . 2024-02-13 . Eclectic Orthodoxy . en.
35. Web site: Archimandrite Cleopa (Ilie). The Veneration of the Theotokos According to the Bible . 2024-02-13 . OrthoChristian.Com.
36. Web site: Priest Valery Dukhanin, Priest Dimitry Shishkin, Archpriest Artemy Vladimirov. What is the Meaning of Passion-bearing? . 2024-02-13 . OrthoChristian.Com.
37. Web site: Royal Passion-Bearers Tsar Nicholas II and His Family A Russian Orthodox Church Website . 2024-02-13 . www.pravmir.com . en-US.
38. Web site: Royal Passionbearers Tsar Nicholas (Nikolai), Tsaritsa Alexandra, Tsarevich Aleksy, Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatiana, Maria, Anastasia . 2024-02-13 . www.oca.org.
39. Web site: The Orthodox Faith - Volume I - Doctrine and Scripture - Old Testament - Prophets . 2024-02-13 . www.oca.org.
40. Web site: Holy, Glorious Prophet Elijah . 2024-05-22 . www.oca.org.
41. Web site: Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen. Commemorated on December 27 . 2024-02-13 . OrthoChristian.Com.
42. Web site: Right-believing Prince Vladimir Yaroslavich of Novgorod . 2024-02-13 . www.oca.org.
43. Web site: Righteous Job the Long-Suffering . 2024-08-02 . www.oca.org.
44. Web site: Annual Celebration of the Memory of Holy Right-believing Prince Peter and Princess Febronia of Murom . 2024-08-02 . wadiocese.com.
45. Web site: saint Etymology of saint by etymonline . 2024-02-13 . www.etymonline.com . en.
46. Web site: Boston . Greek . 2019-07-08 . Why Are There Saints in the Orthodox Church? . 2024-02-13 . www.greekboston.com . en-US.
47. Web site: Saints . 2024-02-13 . Holy Apostles Orthodox Church . en-US.
48. Web site: Holy Hieromartyr Publius, Bishop of Athens . 2024-02-13 . en.
49. Web site: Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian . 2024-02-13 . www.oca.org.
50. Web site: Saint Gregory the Theologian, Archbishop of Constantinople . 2024-02-13 . www.oca.org.
51. Web site: Venerable Simeon the New Theologian . 2024-02-13 . www.oca.org.
52. Web site: Peoples . Mother of All . 2019-01-28 . The Mother of God in the Orthodox Church . 2024-02-13 . Motherofallpeoples . en.
53. Web site: Berzonsky . Fr Vladimir . 2005-03-20 . Theotokos and the Mother of God . 2024-02-13 . www.oca.org.
54. Web site: Church . Saint John . 2022-08-16 . Why We Call The Virgin Mary "Theotokos" . 2024-02-13 . Saint John the Evangelist Orthodox Church . en-US.
55. Web site: Serviam . 2022-05-13 . Unmercenary Healers. . 2024-08-02 . All Is Gift. . en.
56. Web site: Greatmartyr and Healer Panteleimon . 2024-02-13 . www.oca.org.
57. Web site: Life and Miracles of St. Paisios of the Holy Mountain . 2024-02-13 . obitel-minsk.org/ . en.
58. Web site: Martyr Agatha of Palermo in Sicily . 2024-02-13 . www.oca.org.
59. Web site: Virgin Martyr Lucy of Syracuse . 2024-02-13 . www.oca.org.
60. Web site: Wonderworker . 2024-02-13 . St. Nicholas Center . en-us.
61. Web site: Feast of our Father Among the Saints, Nicholas, the Wonderworker and Archbishop of Myra - Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America - Orthodox Church . 2024-02-13 . Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America . en-US.