Eusebius of Caesarea, in his Martyrs of Palestine (10.1), narrates the martyrdom of *Ares, Promos and Elias (Egyptian martyrs of Ascalon, S00196) on 14 December. Written in Greek at Caesarea (Palestine) in 311; a longer version of the text survives only in a later Syriac translation.
Evidence ID
E00390
Type of Evidence
Literary - Hagiographical - Accounts of martyrdom
Major author/Major anonymous work
Eusebius of Caesarea
Eusebius of Caesarea, Martyrs of Palestine, 10.1
Summary:
On 14 December 309, a group of Christians travelling from Egypt to Cilicia with the purpose of ministering to the local confessors were detained in the city of Ascalon. After they were brought to the court of Firmilianus, where they confessed to being Christians, most of them were subjected to mutilation. Three Christians from this group, however, were executed in Ascalon: Ares by burning alive, and Promos and Elias by beheading by the sword.
Summary: Sergey Minov
Festivals
Saint’s feast
Non Liturgical ActivityComposing 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.Martyrdom of *Ares, Promos and Elias: ed. Cureton 1861, pp. 36*-37* (long recension); ed. Schwartz et al. 1999, vol. 2, p. 930 (short recension); English trans. Lawlor and Oulton 1927-1928, vol. 1, pp. 376-377.
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 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.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
14/04/2015
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S00196 | Ares, Promos and Elias, Egyptian martyrs of Ascalon | Ἄρης, Πρόμος, Ἠλίας | Certain |
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