Eusebius of Caesarea, in his Martyrs of Palestine (6.1-7), narrates the martyrdom of two Christians from Gaza, *Agapios (martyr of Caesarea of Palestine, S00188), on 20/21 November, and *Thekla (martyr of Caesarea of Palestine, S00189). Written in Greek at Caesarea, in 311; a longer version of the text survives only in a later Syriac translation.
E00376
Literary - Hagiographical - Accounts of martyrdom
Eusebius of Caesarea
Eusebius of Caesarea, Martyrs of Palestine, 6.1-7
Summary:
In Martyrs of Palestine 3.1, at the conclusion of his account of *Timotheos from Gaza (E00299), Eusebius relates that on the same day when this martyr had been executed in Gaza, two other Christians from this city, Agapios and Thekla, were condemned to be thrown to the wild beasts. However, they were not executed along with Timotheos, but were retained in custody until suitable games were held.
Later on, in 6.1-7, it is related that when the emperor Maximinus Daia came to the city of Caesarea on 20 November to celebrate his birthday, Agapios was exposed to the wild beasts as a part of the festive entertainment. After being mauled by a bear, the martyr was taken back to prison and was executed on the next day by being cast alive into the sea. The date and mode of execution of Thekla are not related.
Summary: Sergey Minov
Composing and translating saint-related texts
Protagonists in Cult and NarrativesWomen
Monarchs and their family
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 Agapios and Thekla: ed. Cureton 1861, pp. 21*-23* (long recension); ed. Schwartz et al. 1999, vol. 2, pp. 920-921 (short recension); English trans. Lawlor and Oulton 1927-1928, vol. 1, pp. 354-358.
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 concise account of execution and death, with no reference to miraculous events.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
11/04/2015
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S00188 | Agapios from Gaza, martyr of Caesarea of Palestine | Ἀγάπιος | Certain | S00189 | Thekla from Gaza, martyr of Caesarea of Palestine | Θέκλα | Certain |
|---|
Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL:
Sergey Minov, Cult of Saints, E00376 - http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E00376