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The Cult of Saints in Late Antiquity


from its origins to circa AD 700, across the entire Christian world


Eusebius of Caesarea, in his Martyrs of Palestine (5.2-3), narrates the martyrdom of *Aidesios from Lycia (martyr of Alexandria, S00179). Written in Greek at Caesarea (Palestine), in 311, a longer version of the text survives only in a later Syriac translation.

Evidence ID

E00319

Type of Evidence

Literary - Hagiographical - Accounts of martyrdom

Major author/Major anonymous work

Eusebius of Caesarea

Eusebius of Caesarea, Martyrs of Palestine, 5.2-3

Summary:

Brother of *Apphianos from Lycia (S00159), Aidesios likewise had a good secular education and studied in Caesarea under *Pamphilos of Caesarea (S00140). At some point, he was arrested and, after a period of torture and imprisonment, sent to the copper mines in Palestine. After his release from the mines, Aidesios came to the city of Alexandria in Egypt. There, he publicly attacked and beat up the local governor Hierocles for his 'offensive conduct towards the martyrs of God,' such as sending Christian virgins to brothels. As a consequence, he underwent severe tortures and was cast alive into the sea.


Summary: Sergey Minov

Non Liturgical Activity

Composing and translating saint-related texts

Protagonists in Cult and Narratives

Officials

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 Aidesios: ed. Cureton 1861, pp. 19*-21* (long recension); ed. Schwartz et al. 1999, vol. 2, pp. 919-920 (short and long recensions); English trans. Lawlor and Oulton 1927-1928, vol. 1, pp. 353-354.

For a full discussion of the
Martyrs of Palestine, see E00294.

Discussion

This entry, typical of Eusebius' description of the martyrs of Palestine, consists 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.

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).


Record Created By

Sergey Minov

Date of Entry

24/02/2015

Related Saint Records
IDNameName in SourceIdentity
S00179Aidesios from Lycia, martyr of AlexandriaΑἰδέσιοςCertain


Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL:
Sergey Minov, Cult of Saints, E00319 - http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E00319