Eusebius of Caesarea, in his Martyrs of Palestine (10.2-3), narrates the martyrdoms of *Petros Abshelama from Eleutheropolis (martyr of Caesarea of Palestine, S00165) and of the Marcionite bishop *Asklepios (martyr of Caesarea, S00178), on 10 January 310. Written in Greek at Caesarea; in 311, a longer version of the text survives only in a later Syriac translation.
E00304
Literary - Hagiographical - Accounts of martyrdom
Eusebius of Caesarea
Eusebius of Caesarea, Martyrs of Palestine, 10.2-3
A native of the village of Anea in the vicinity of Eleutheropolis, the young ascetic Petros, who was 'called Abshelama' [most likely, from the Hebrew personal name Absalom], was brought into the city of Caesarea on 10 January 310. He was burnt on a pyre.
ܒܗ̇ ܕܝܢ ܒܚܕܐ ܢܘܪܐ ܐܬܟܪܢ ܗܘܐ ܥܡܗ ܚܕ ܐܝܢܐ ܕܡܢ ܛܥܝܘܬܐ ܕܡܪܩܝܘܢ ܐܝܬܘܗܝ ܗܘܐ. ܘܐܦܣܩܘܦܐ ܢܦܫܗ ܩܪܐ ܗܘܐ. ܘܐܝܟ ܕܒܛܢܢܐ ܕܟܐܢܘܬܐ ܢܦܫܗ ܠܗܕܐ ܝܗܒ ܗܘܐ. ܐܠܐ ܠܐ ܗܘܐ ܒܝܕܥܬܐ ܫܪܝܪܬܐ. ܥܡ ܗܢܐ ܣܗܕܐ ܕܐܠܗܐ ܒܢܘܪܐ ܐܣܗܕ ܗܘܐ
'Now on one and the same pyre was yoked with him a certain person of the Marcionite error, who called himself a bishop. And he gave himself up to this as though forsooth in his zeal for righteousness - but he was not in the knowledge of the truth - and suffered martyrdom by fire along with this martyr of God.' [In the shorter, Greek, recension of the text this bishop is named as Asklepios.]
Text: Cureton 1861.
Translation: Lawlor and Oulton 1927.
Summary: Sergey Minov.
Saint’s feast
Non Liturgical ActivityComposing and translating saint-related texts
Protagonists in Cult and NarrativesEcclesiastics - monks/nuns/hermits
Ecclesiastics - bishops
Source
In this work Eusebius presents an account of the suffering and death of Christian martyrs executed during the eight years of the Diocletianic (or Great) persecution, i.e. 303-311. Most of the martyrdoms described by Eusebius took place in Palestine, with the provincial capital city of Caesarea as the most prominent setting.Martyrdom of Petros Abshelama and Asklepios: ed. Cureton 1861, pp. 37*-38* (long recension); ed. Schwartz et al. 1999, vol. 2, pp. 930-931 (short recension); English trans. Lawlor and Oulton 1927-1928, vol. 1, pp. 377-378.
For a full discussion of the Martyrs of Palestine, see E00294.
Discussion
Eusebius' account of the death of Petros Abshelama is typical of his descriptions of the martyrs of Palestine, consisting of a brief account of torture and death, with no reference to miraculous events. Although there is no explicit reference to the martyr's commemoration, the record of the date of his death might suggest that he was commemorated in Caesarea in an annual celebration on that day.At the conclusion of this account, Eusebius adds that on the same pyre with this orthodox martyr was burnt a certain Asklepios, who was a bishop of 'the Marcionite error'. His name is mentioned only in the short recension.
This brief reference to an 'unorthodox' martyr stands apart in the description of the Palestinian martyrs by Eusebius. It illustrates the historian's somewhat mixed attitude towards the 'heretical' martyrs, which includes acknowledgement of their zeal and suffering, as well as denial of its legitimacy.
This passage provides valuable evidence on the persecution by the Roman authorities of different Christian groups. It also testifies that the ideology of martyrdom was not limited to 'orthodox' Christians only.
Bibliography
Editions and translations:Cureton, W. (ed.), History of the Martyrs in Palestine, by Eusebius, Bishop in Caesarea, Discovered in a Very Ancient Syriac Manuscript (London / Edinburgh: Williams and Norgate / Paris: C. Borrani, 1861).
Lawlor, H.J., and Oulton, J.E.L. (trans.), The Ecclesiastical History and the Martyrs of Palestine. 2 vols (London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1927-1928).
Schwartz, E., Mommsen, T., and Winkelmann, F. (eds.), Eusebius Werke, Band 2, Teil 2 (Die griechischen christlichen Schriftsteller der ersten Jahrhunderte NF 6/2; 2nd ed.; Berlin: Akademie-Verlag, 1999).
Sergey Minov
16/02/2015
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S00165 | Petros Abshelama, martyr of Caesarea of Palestine | Πέτρος Ἀψέλαμος | Certain | S00178 | Asklepios, Marcionite bishop and martyr of Palestine | Ἀσκληπιός | Certain |
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