Eusebius of Caesarea, in his Martyrs of Palestine (7.3-4 and 8.2-4), narrates the martyrdom of *Domninos (martyr of Caesarea of Palestine, S00190) and *Auxentios (martyr of Caesarea of Palestine, S00298) on 5 November, and the suffering of three unnamed young men. Written in Greek at Caesarea, in 311; a longer version of the text survives only in a later Syriac translation.
E00377
Literary - Hagiographical - Accounts of martyrdom
Eusebius of Caesarea
Eusebius of Caesarea, Martyrs of Palestine, 7.3-4 and 8.2-4
Summary:
In a description of various harsh measures taken against Christians by the governor of Caesarea, Urbanus, on 5 November 308, Eusebius mentions the young man Domninos, who, after undergoing tortures at the copper mines, was condemned to execution by fire; on the same day, three other young Christians were condemned to combat (in boxing). Moreover, an old man, named as Auxentios in the short version, was executed by being thrown to the wild beasts.
Later on, in 8.2-4, Eusebius provides more information on the fate of the three young men, and relates that, after their refusal to be trained as gladiators, they were tortured and, after the tendons of their left ankles were destroyed with hot irons and their left eyes plucked out, dispatched to the copper mines in Palestine.
Summary: Sergey Minov
Composing and translating saint-related texts
Protagonists in Cult and NarrativesOfficials
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.Domninos, Auxentios and the three unnamed young men: ed. Cureton 1861, pp. 25*-26*, 30* (long recension); ed. Schwartz et al. 1999, vol. 2, pp. 923, 925-926 (short recension); English trans. Lawlor and Oulton 1927-1928, vol. 1, pp. 360-361, 366-367.
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 execution, with no reference to miraculous events. Although there is no explicit reference to the martyrs' commemoration, the record of the date of their deaths might suggest that they were commemorated in an annual celebration in Caesarea.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
12/04/2015
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S00184 | Confessors, unnamed or name lost | Certain | S00190 | Domninos, martyr of Caesarea of Palestine | Δομνῖνος | Certain | S00298 | Auxentios, martyr of Palestine | Αὐξέντιος | Certain |
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