In the time of the wicked Roman Emperor Decius, the Church of Christ faced persecution. Many Christians, including clergy, hid from the oppressors. The emperor, arriving in Ephesus, commanded sacrifices to be made to idols, and Christians were sought everywhere. Some, fearing torture, fell away from the faith, but many bravely endured suffering for Christ.
Among those who remained faithful were seven youths: Maximilian, Jamblichus, Martinian, John, Dionysius, Exacoustodian, and Antoninus. Seeing the sufferings of their brethren, they avoided the pagan festival and prayed in the church. They were betrayed to the emperor, who ordered their capture. Upon seeing their beauty and youth, the emperor initially decided not to execute them but to give them time for reflection.
The youths, taking advantage of the free time, distributed gold and silver to the poor, and then hid in a cave to the east of the city, where they prayed for strength before the impending tortures. They fell asleep, and when the emperor ordered them to be sought again, the entrance to the cave was blocked by stones.
Many years later, during the reign of the pious Theodosius, an incident occurred when workers, building a fence, accidentally uncovered the entrance to the cave. The holy youths, awakening, did not know that so much time had passed and decided to go out into the city. Seeing that the city had changed, they were astonished.
Jamblichus, going into the city, was captured due to an ancient silver coin he found. He was brought to the governor and the bishop, who, upon hearing his story, decided to go to the cave. There they found the youths, who, as before, were incorrupt and shone with light.
Emperor Theodosius, learning of the miracle, came to Ephesus, where he met the holy youths and praised God for their resurrection. However, they again fell asleep, and the emperor ordered to leave them in peace, as they requested. The memory of the holy youths is honored in the Church, and their life serves as an example of fidelity to Christ.
