Persecution under Hadrian
According to the synaxarion, Philetus held a position of rank at the court of the emperor Hadrian, who ruled from 117 to 138. When he confessed his Christian faith openly, he was brought to trial along with his wife Lydia and their two sons, Macedonius and Theoprepius.
On the emperor's order the family was sent to the province of Illyria and handed over to the military governor Amphilochius to be tortured. The governor had them suspended from a tree and tortured with knives, after which they were locked in prison together with the jailer Cronides, a notary who had himself come to believe in Christ and was thrown into jail.
Miracles & Traditions
Traditional Accounts: The synaxarion relates that an angel visited the martyrs nightly to comfort them in their suffering. By tradition the martyrs were placed into a cauldron of boiling oil, but the oil cooled instantly and the saints remained unharmed. The account adds that the governor Amphilochius, astonished at the wonder, himself confessed Christ and entered the boiling oil with the words 'Lord, Jesus Christ, help me!' and was likewise preserved unharmed; he is numbered among the martyrs of the group.
Historically Documented: Modern scholarship notes that the Acta of these martyrs are considered unreliable, and that detailed records of the specific circumstances of their deaths remain limited. The core fact preserved across traditions is that Philetus and his companions were martyred in Illyria during the reign of Hadrian.
Veneration
Philetus and those with him are venerated by both the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church, an instance of shared pre-schism veneration. In the Orthodox calendar they are commemorated on March 23, while the Roman tradition observes their feast on March 27.
In the Orthodox synaxarion the commemoration honors the whole group together: Philetus the senator, his wife Lydia, their sons Macedonius and Theoprepius, the commander Amphilochius, and the notary Cronides.
