Eudokia (
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
: Ευδοκία) was a
Samarian woman who lived in
Heliopolis of Phoenicia
Baalbek (; ar, بَعْلَبَكّ, Baʿlabakk, Syriac language, Syriac-Aramaic: ܒܥܠܒܟ) is a city located east of the Litani River in Lebanon's Beqaa Valley, about northeast of Beirut. It is the capital of Baalbek-Hermel Governorate. In ...
(present day
Baalbek
Baalbek (; ar, بَعْلَبَكّ, Baʿlabakk, Syriac-Aramaic: ܒܥܠܒܟ) is a city located east of the Litani River in Lebanon's Beqaa Valley, about northeast of Beirut. It is the capital of Baalbek-Hermel Governorate. In Greek and Roman ...
,
Lebanon
Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...
).
Life
Eudokia was very beautiful, and garnered her wealth by attracting wealthy lovers. She learned about Christianity from a
monk
A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...
by the name of Germanus. According to legend, Eudokia asked him if she, too, could be saved from Judgment. Germanos instructed her to remain alone in her chamber for one week, fasting and praying. Eudokia followed his instructions, and at the end of the week, Germanus told her to give away her wealth and to put her previous life behind her. She was later baptized by Bishop Theodotus of Heliopolis.
[
At age 30, Eudokia entered a monastery near Heliopolis, and dispensed much of her wealth in various charitable projects. She rejected all of her suitors, and when one persistent suitor named Philostratos was struck down because of his persistence, Eudokia prayed for him until he recovered. Philostratos then converted to Christianity.][
Roman officials were angered by her actions, and had her beheaded on 1 March 107 AD.]["Martyr Eudokia of Heliopolis", Orthodox Church in America]
/ref>
Names
She is venerated by the Eastern Orthodox as Holy Monastic Martyress Eudocia, "Venerable Martyr Eudocia", Martyr Eudokia of Heliopolis, Righteous Martyr Mudocia the Samaritan, Our Holy Mother, the Martyr Eudocia, or combinations between them. The Roman Catholic commonly refer to her as Saint Eudokia of Heliopolis.
/ref>
Other Spellings
* Greek Ευδοκία (Evdokia)
* Latin Eudocia
* Russian/East Slavic Евдокия / Євдокія (Yevdokiya)
Romanian folklore
In Romanian folklore, the figure of Baba Dochia
In Romanian mythology, Baba Dochia, or The Old Dokia, is a figure identified with the return of spring. She is sometimes imagined as “an old woman who insults the month of March when she goes out with a herd of sheep or goats.”Andreas John ...
is thought to have taken her name from Eudokia.[Andreas Johns, ''Baba Yaga: the ambiguous mother and witch of the Russian folktale'' (Peter Lang, 2004), 76.]
References
Sources
Antiochian Orthodox Christian Diocese of North America
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eudokia Of Heliopolis
2nd-century Christian martyrs
2nd-century Christian saints
107 deaths
Year of birth unknown
Ante-Nicene Christian female saints
Angelic visionaries
Michael (archangel)
Ancient Samaritan people
Converts to Christianity
Lebanese saints