DistantNews
Support us
🇬🇷 Greece /Culture & Society

Name Day Calendar: Who celebrates on September 5

From Kathimerini · () Greek

Translated from Greek and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

In-depth Sources not specified Context piece
  • Zacharias and Zacharoula celebrate their name day on September 5.
  • The Orthodox Church commemorates Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, along with the hieromartyrs Avdas and Athanasius of Brest-Litovsk.
  • The account of Zacharias describes his encounter with the Archangel Gabriel, the birth of John the Baptist and the restoration of his speech.

Zacharias and Zacharoula celebrate their name day on September 5, a day on which the Church commemorates Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, as well as the hieromartyrs Avdas and Athanasius of Brest-Litovsk.

Zacharias was a distinguished priest at the Temple in Jerusalem. His name is explained as meaning in Hebrew “one who remembers the Lord and whom the Lord remembers.” He was the son of Berechiah and belonged to the priestly order of Abijah. His wife, Elizabeth, also came from a priestly family descended from Aaron and was related to the Virgin Mary.

The couple lived a righteous and devout life, observing God’s commandments, but they had no children. Elizabeth was barren, and both had reached an advanced age. In ancient Jewish society, childlessness carried great shame and was viewed as a sign of divine abandonment.

Look, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day these things happen, because you did not believe my words.

· Archangel GabrielGabriel’s response after Zacharias asked for a sign that Elizabeth would give birth.

According to the first chapter of the Gospel of Luke, Zacharias was chosen during his service at the Temple to enter the sanctuary and offer incense. The Archangel Gabriel appeared to him and announced that his prayers had been heard and that Elizabeth would give birth to a son named John. Gabriel said the child would be filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother’s womb and would prepare the people for the coming of the Messiah.

Zacharias asked for a sign because of their old age. Gabriel told him he would be unable to speak until the prophecy was fulfilled, and Zacharias emerged from the sanctuary unable to address the people except through gestures. When Elizabeth gave birth, she insisted that the child be named John. Zacharias wrote, “John is his name,” and immediately regained his speech. Filled with the Holy Spirit, he praised God and prophesied about his son’s mission and the salvation the Messiah would bring.

John is his name.

· ZachariasThe words Zacharias wrote when relatives asked what the newborn child should be called.
About this summary

Originally published by Kathimerini in Greek. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

More Stories

From Our Blog