Hieromartyr Zoticus, Bishop of Comana

Hieromartyr Zoticus, Bishop of Comana, suffered for the faith during the persecution of Emperor Septimius Severus around 204. The historical basis of his veneration probably traces back to an anti-Montanist figure named Zoticus (of Otrous) mentioned by Eusebius of Caesarea in his Church History, who together with Julian, Bishop of Apamea, traveled to Pepuza in Phrygia to denounce the Montanist prophetess Maximilla, but was stopped by followers of Themiso. Later Byzantine hagiography (an anonymous Life of Zoticus, composed in the 11th century under Emperor Michael IV) recast him as Bishop of Comana (sources disagree: Cappadocia or Pontus) and a martyr under Septimius Severus.

IMPORTANT CLARIFICATION ON IMAGE CONFUSION: several different saints were venerated at Comana, which often leads to their images being mixed up. Hieromartyr Zoticus of Comana (this entry) is a separate, independently attested figure, not identical to Hieromartyr Alexander of Comana (a charcoal-seller elected bishop by St. Gregory the Wonderworker, feast August 12) or Martyr Basiliscus of Comana (a soldier, nephew of Great Martyr Theodore Tyro, feast May 22/March 3). The images found in this entry during verification turned out to be icons of precisely these two OTHER Comana saints, not Zoticus.