The glorious and great Prophet Jeremiah, who prophesied to the people of Israel for forty and one years, was born in Anathoth, where his father Hilkiah was a priest. He distinguished himself as a teacher of love, instructing his fellow countrymen to extinguish the hatred nesting within their hearts and to extend their love even towards their enemies—namely the Chaldeans—to whom he recommended submission in order to avoid the horrors of war. Misunderstood and persecuted as a traitor to his country, he was vindicated by the subsequent capture of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, which fulfilled his prophecies. He survived the destruction of Jerusalem, over which he wrote his poignant lamentations. Thereafter, he fled to Taphnas in Egypt, where the Egyptians honoured him exceedingly, but he was wickedly put to death by stoning at the hands of his own countrymen.
By his holy intercessions, O Christ God, have mercy upon us and save us. Amen.
Apolytikion (Troparion) of the Prophet, Tone 2
As we celebrate the memory of thy Prophet Jeremiah, O Lord, through his intercessions we beseech Thee: save our souls.
Kontakion, Tone 3
Having purified thy radiant heart in spirit, O great prophet and martyr, O glorious Jeremiah, thou didst receive the gift of prophecy from on high, and didst cry aloud in the lands: Behold, our God, and no other shall be added unto Him, Who, being incarnate, hath appeared on earth.
Megalynarion
Let us extol with hymns the wise prophet-martyr Jeremiah, who was sanctified from his mother’s womb and lamented the fall of the people of the Lord.
Go Beyond the Synaxarion: The Full Life of St. Jeremiah
The synaxarion entry above is a window into the life of this great Prophet. Our exclusive new translation of St. Jeremiah’s full life invites you to journey into his divine calling, his bold rebukes to kings, and his unyielding love for God.
- The Complete Life: Newly translated from the 19th-century Russian Lives of the Saints by St. Demetrius of Rostov.
- A Canon for Devotion: A beautiful canon translated by our brotherhood directly from the Greek.
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