The holy Martyrs lived during the reign of Diocletian. Agapius came from Gaza, Timolaus from Pontus Euxinus, both Dionysius from Trippolis of Phoenicia, Puplius and both Alexanders from Egypt, and Romil was a subdeacon of the Diocesan church. All of them suffered in Caesarea of Palestine from Hegemon Urvan in the second year of the persecution of Christians that was then raised.
At that time, a decree was issued in all countries and cities to force Christians to worship idols and sacrifice to them. On the occasion of a pagan holiday at that time, a spectacle was being prepared in Caesarea for the people gathered from all sides, namely, the Christians held there in bonds were being prepared for torment. All the Greeks who were there gathered to watch this spectacle.
First of all, after many torments, the holy Martyr Timothy was burned at the stake (commemorated on August 19); after that, the holy Martyr Agapius and the Holy Martyr Thekla (not the Agapius who is remembered today, but another of the same name, who had suffered earlier with Saint Thekla and was remembered together with the martyr Timothy in the month of August).
When this bloody spectacle took place, six courageous Christian youths: Puplius, Timolaus, Romil, both Alexander and Dionysius, whose memory is being celebrated today, inflamed with zeal for Christ, tied their own hands as a sign that they wanted to suffer for Christ and out of love for Christ were ready to go to the fire and be devoured by animals.. Walking quickly to the very center of the spectacle, they stopped in front of Hegemon Urvan and loudly exclaimed:
- We are Christians!
The hegemon, seeing that they were still young in age, not wanting to ruin them, began to gently exhort them to worship idols and not to ruin themselves in such flourishing years. When he was unsuccessful, he ordered them to be sent to prison.
A few days later, Saint Agapius, an honest and glorious man among Christians, was counted among the prisoners of Christ, since he had previously confessed the name of Jesus Christ with great boldness and had already suffered various torments for this. At that time, Agapius was taken along with his servant Dionysius the Egyptian and imprisoned along with the six holy men mentioned, so that there were eight of them.
For a long time these holy martyrs were kept in prison, they were tortured many times in various ways, but they did not reject Christ.
Finally, they were condemned to be cut off, and all in one day laid down their honest heads for the Head of the Church of Jesus Christ, to Whom they devoted their souls and from Whom they were crowned with victorious crowns in the Church, triumphant in heaven.