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| St. Telemachus (Feast Day - January 1) |
By Protopresbyter Fr. George Papavarnavas
Saint Telemachus came from Asia, lived in the late 4th and early 5th centuries AD and was a man completely dedicated to God. He had a brave spirit, spiritual leventia and great love for God and people. He had perfect love, which is expressed as a sacrifice for everyone, even for his enemies, and for this reason he sacrificed himself in order to protect people from being killed unjustly in gladiator combat. Gladiator combat were a barbaric pagan custom that began before the incarnation of the Son and Word of God and continued until the days of the Saint. This, then, his great love for people, and especially for the weak and despised, motivated him to travel to Rome, in order to stop the gladiator combats, which were held in the amphitheaters, and especially in the Colosseum, and many people were unjustly killed, especially young people.
He traveled, therefore, to Rome, entered the Colosseum, which was packed, and after he managed, unknown how, to approach the two gladiators, he shouted loudly, begging them to stop the combat in the name of Christ. Then the crowd, which, unfortunately, took pleasure in seeing blood shed, began to loudly condemn him. And then, in the midst of this commotion, one of the two gladiators struck him in the stomach with his sword, and he fell to the ground covered in blood. However, he found the strength to rise and shout again, begging them to stop, in the name of Christ. Then the other gladiator also stabbed him in the stomach with his sword, and the Saint, after uttering the same words for the last time, namely “in the name of Christ, stop”, died on the floor of the amphitheater. Then the crowd suddenly froze, and they all silently left the Colosseum.
This event, namely the courageous act and confession of Saint Telemachus, which he sealed with his blood, on January 1, 404 AD, became the reason for that gladiator combat to be the last in the history of the Roman Empire, because after three days the Emperor Honorius, by his decree, abolished this barbaric and inhuman custom of gladiator combats.
His life and his conduct give us the occasion to emphasize the following.
Many remnants of paganism remained in Christian societies for many years, and some remain, unfortunately, to this day, such as the carnivals, which were part of the cult of Dionysus. And these are in reality the "pomp of the devil", which Christians renounce before their Baptism. And the barbaric custom of "gladiators" persisted until the beginning of the 5th century AD, despite the fact that about a century prior, that is, at the beginning of the 4th century, the Roman Empire went from being pagan to being Christian.
The first gladiator combats, according to historical accounts, took place in the 3rd century BC, “as part of the funeral rites of warriors and wealthy nobles. Slaves or condemned prisoners would fight to the death as a tribute to the dead patrician,” since they believed that “this display of bravery and fighting spirit was intended to reflect the virtues that the individual had shown in his life.”
Those who took part in the gladiator combats and were killed did not do so of their own free will, but were forced to do so, since they were slaves or prisoners of war. They were forced to fight to the death, and the people were “amused” with the death of these unfortunate people. The fights were very frequent. In fact, in 80 AD, when the Colosseum was inaugurated, these inhuman fights lasted a total of 100 days.
I think it is worth noting in passing that the Colosseum - the construction of which began in 72 AD by Emperor Vespasian, of the Flavian dynasty, and had a capacity of 80,000 spectators - was entirely covered in marble, had three arches and was as tall as a modern twelve-story building. And it had, as modern stadiums do, seats for the rich and powerful, seats that were “closer to the action” for those of the upper classes, and the higher levels (“nosebleeds”) reserved for the common people.
It has been suggested, of course, that not all gladiator combats resulted in death, but one in eight, although this has not been confirmed. On the contrary, everything indicates that in all gladiator combats one out of the two died. Besides, if the fights were not held until the "final collapse," then many of the "entertainers" who went to the Colosseum would not "bet" and would not frequent there, and this would have resulted in a reduction in the State's revenues, but also in the profits of the businessmen who had invested in this "business." Because, "the gladiator combats, apart from being 'entertainment' were also a well-established business and the businessmen who invested in the market of these unfortunate people, the 'gladiators' (lanistae), certainly did so to make money." And they certainly wouldn’t have done so “if it weren’t absolutely necessary for gladiators to be trained to wound and kill.” Also, the gladiators, every time they won, that is, killed their opponent, earned money. And finally, “those gladiators who managed to survive beyond three to five years were set free.”
If one takes all of the above into consideration, one can easily understand how difficult and dangerous it was for someone to attempt to stop the gladiator combats, this barbaric and inhumane habit, since one would be faced with the State itself, with a large portion of the people who "entertained" with the gladiator combats, and especially with the "large economic interests," which would react in every way, without dilemmas or ethical barriers. Therefore, whoever decided to undertake this daring venture had to possess self-denial, great courage bordering on insanity, and above all, unwavering faith in the Triune God and in eternal divine life, since he understood that this would lead him to death.
Therefore, only a Saint could dare to do this, who is possessed by "rational madness," that is, perfect love, which "casts out fear," and who has transcended death within the boundaries of his personal life, through his union with Christ, the conqueror of death.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
