The Church today commemorates the Martyrs Neophytus and Agne, as well as Saint Maximus the Confessor, who bravely confessed their faith in Christ during challenging times when the Church was facing the heresy of Monothelitism.
The heretics propagated the belief that although Christ had two natures, divine and human, He only possessed one will, the divine will. This distorted Orthodox doctrine and undermined the concept of human salvation by negating the presence of free human will in Christ’s actions. In response to this heresy, God raised up Saint Maximus the Confessor in the sixth century as a defender of the Faith.
Hailing from an aristocratic family in Constantinople, Saint Maximus, born in 580 AD, received a comprehensive education and initially served as the Protoasecretis to Emperor Heraclius. However, his deep devotion to Christ led him to renounce his worldly pursuits and embrace monastic life, dedicating himself to prayer and writing. Due to his staunch defense of Orthodoxy, the heretical Emperor Constans II cruelly punished him by subjecting him to flogging and mutilation, including the severing of his tongue and right hand.
The esteemed Confessor and Martyr of our Faith, Saint Maximus, passed away in exile in 662 AD.
Source: Church of Cyprus