Herod Antipas, the son of the Herod who had the children of Bethlehem slaughtered, was married to the daughter of the Arab Prince Aretas; he cast her aside and took the wife of his living brother, Philip. Saint John the Baptist rose up against this lawlessness, and Herod had him thrown into prison. At a banquet, a drunken Herod promised Salome—Herodias’s daughter, who had pleased him with her dancing—that he would grant her whatever she wished; at her mother’s urging, she asked for the head of John the Baptist. John was beheaded, and his head was brought to Herod on a platter. His disciples buried his body, while Herodias pierced his tongue with a needle and buried his head in a rubbish heap. Later, Prince Aretas defeated Herod with his army; Emperor Caligula banished Herod to Gaul and then to Spain, where he died in utter destitution alongside Herodias. Salome met her death in the Sicoris (Sulis) River.

Venerable Theodora of Thessalonica. Holy Martyr Vasilia. Holy Martyr Anastasius. Synaxis of the Holy Serbian Enlighteners and Teachers.