All these saints were relatives and St Theodore the Tyro (2 March) who were in the same prison with him for their Christian faith. When Saint Theodore died as a martyr, they remained in prison for some time because the governor of their province was reluctant to proceed with their execution. But when the governor changed, they were brought before him.
The governor tried every means to bring them to turn away from Christ. First, he tried flattery. He asked Eutropius to dine with him, but he turned down the invitation citing the bible verse “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the councils of the ungodly.” He offered all three an unspeakable amount of silver, but they refused, saying that Judah lost his soul for silver.
Then the governor subjected all three to brutal torture and condemned Euthropius and Cleonicus to death on the cross. Both received the sentence with joy, thanking the governor for giving them the honour to die like Christ. The governor held the third martyr Basilucus in prison for a little longer, hoping that seeing the brutal death of the other two men would soften his resolve. But contrary to the governor’s expectations, Basiliscus remained strong and was beheaded in 308.
