September 29 -- Feast of Saint Theodota

A Harlot Whose Repentance Stuck

There are a couple of saints named Theodota.  One is a virtuous mother of three.  This is the other one.

One of the Theodotae

Theodota's virtue bloomed late in the season, but perhaps it was all the hardier for it.  She had worked as a harlot, but by the time of her martyrdom, she knew her Bible well enough to reference Rahab the Harlot in her prayers.  It's pretty impressive that she could come up with the name of a character in the Book of Joshua while her flesh was being stripped from her ribs with iron combs.

She fell victim to the last gasp of the Great Persecution, when the co-Emperor Licinius fought like hell to preserve the old ways, even after his patron Emperor Diocletian had retired to his cabbage garden in Croatia.

Theodota

A proconsul named Agrippa was enforcing worship and sacrifice to Apollo in 313; Theodota declined to make an offering.  Accused, she freely confessed of having worked as a harlot before accepting Christ as her savior.  From that moment on, she would neither turn tricks nor burn sticks (of incense).

Agrippa made a extensive efforts to convert her back.  She was imprisoned twenty days, but did not crack.  She was whipped and then racked; all the while, sympathetic townsfolk urged her to give in lust long enough to satisfy the court.  In response, she prayed aloud for the strength to resist it all.

Rahab!

Every action has a reaction.  Her prayers resulted in salt and vinegar being rubbed into her wounds.  Since the prayers continued, Agrippa thought dentistry would help.  One by one, her teeth were pulled from the gums with iron pincers.  Still she did not cave.  At last she was hauled from the city (Philippopolis / Eumopolis) and stoned to death.  As this was done, she called on God to forgive and accept her as he had accepted Rahab the Harlot and Dismas, the Good Thief. 

Anyone who doubts her sainthood can think about this -- let someone flay the flesh from your torso and see how many Biblical characters you can invoke as they haul you off to be stoned to death.  Come up with one and you're a beatus; two or more and you're a saint.