List of Eastern Orthodox saint titles
The saints of the [Eastern Orthodox Church] have various customary saint titles with which they are commemorated on the liturgical calendar and in Divine Services.
Many of the titles can overlap with each other or are at least not mutually exclusive. Some of them are, however, mutually exclusive. Some titles are only given to one saint, very often the Virgin Mary, and some titles are also no longer given to saints.
It is not rare that certain titles, such as [Venerable |Venerable], Prophet or Hieromartyr, are placed in front of a saint's name instead of the standard Saint.
List
The following list explains the titles and gives an exemplary saint for each title:- Archangel: an angel of the second lowest rank, whose purpose is to act as a messenger of God to humans; this rank of angel is the only one to have known names
- Apostle: one of the twelve men who followed Jesus and who were sent out on the Great Commission in to spread the Gospel to all nations; they may also be simultaneously be called Disciples
- Blessed: a title very often given to Fools for Christ as well as rulers and monastics known for their great piety and asceticism. It is also rarely used in its literal sense for certain early saints
- Child Martyr: a martyr who was martyred at a young age, typically below the age of 20
- Confessor of the Faith or Confessor: one who suffered for the faith but was not martyred outright
- Coryphaeus or Coryphe: a Latin term borrowed from Ancient Greek, originally referring to a leader of a Greek chorus, this title is exclusively used for Saints Peter and Paul, in reference to their leadership of the other Apostles
- Disciple: one of the seventy or seventy-two men who were sent by Jesus in pairs to spread the Gospel in ; they may also simultaneously be called Apostles
- Enlightener or Illuminator: a saint who first brought the faith to a people or region, or who did major work of evangelisation there
- Ethnomartyr: a martyr who was martyred due to their ethnicity
- Equal-to-the-Apostles: one whose work greatly built up the Church, whether through direct missionary work or through assisting the Church's place in society, but was not one of the twelve Apostles
- Evangelist: one of the four men who wrote the four Gospels, as well as any saint who preached the Gospel
- Fool for Christ: one known for his apparent yet holy foolishness or insanity
- Great Hierarch: one of the Three Holy Hierarchs, which includes Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom
- God-bearing or Theophoros: title given to Ignatius of Antioch, who according to holy tradition, was one of the children who went to Jesus in
- Healer: a saint who used the power of God to heal maladies and injuries
- Hesychast: a monastic saint who prayed using hesychasm
- Hieroconfessor: a confessor who is also a clergyman
- Hieromartyr or priestmartyr: a martyr who is also a clergyman
- Iconographer: a saint who creates, or writes, icons
- Intercessor: a saint who prays, or intercedes, on behalf of the living and the dead. All saints bear this title, although they are rarely ever formally titled as such
- Martyr: ultimately from ; one who has died for the faith
- Merciful: one known for almsgiving, especially towards the poor
- Myrrhbearer: the first witnesses of the Resurrection of Jesus
- Myroblyte, Myrrh-gusher or Myrrh-streaming: the relics of the saint exude holy and sweet-smelling —and often miraculous—oil
- New or Younger: title of a saint who shares a name with an earlier saint
- New Confessor: a confessor, often but not always sharing a name with an earlier one, who suffered for the faith during or after the Ottoman persecutions or onwards
- New Martyr or Neomartyr: a martyr, often but not always sharing a name with an earlier one, who was martyred during the Ottoman persecutions or onwards
- Newly-Revealed: a saint whose veneration was either forgotten within the Church or previously unknown, but was later revived through miraculous means
- Panagia: from ; the title is only given to the Virgin Mary, referring to her position as the holiest of all saints
- Passion Bearer: one who was killed not for the faith but faced death in a Christ-like manner
- Pillar of Orthodoxy: Photius the Great, Gregory Palamas, and Mark of Ephesus are each known by this title, for their defenses of Orthodox doctrine
- Prophet: a saint under the Old Covenant who anticipated and prophesied Christ and who spoke the word of God
- Protomartyr: the first martyr in a given region or time period
- Right-Believing: a monarch or ruler who treated the Church and the people well
- Righteous: a saint under the Old Covenant who is not a prophet but also a married saint of the New Covenant
- Saint: ultimately from ; a human or angel who is in heaven; one who has been saved, whom the Church on earth has recognised and glorified. All saints bear this title
- Stylite: a monastic saint who lived an ascetic life on top of a pillar, often not coming down for long periods of time
- Taxiarch: an archangel who leads the Heavenly Host; only Archangels Michael and Gabriel are given this title.
- Theologian: a saint whose writings have introduced new theological doctrines; only three saints are given the title Theologian: John the Theologian, Gregory the Theologian, and Symeon the New Theologian.
- Theotokos, Bogorodica or Mother of God: ultimately from, the title given only to the Virgin Mary, since she gave birth to Jesus, who Orthodox Christians believe is the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, and thus God
- Unmercenary Healer: a saint who used the power of God to heal maladies and injuries without payment
- Venerable: a monastic saint; a saint who is a monk or nun
- Venerable martyr, hosiomartyr, monk-martyr or nun-martyr: a martyred monastic
- Virgin: a female saint who consecrated her life to Christ and made a vow of chastity
- Virgin Martyr: a celibate female martyr
- Wonderworker or thaumaturge: a saint known for performing miracles during his/her lifetime