The Cult of Saints in Late Antiquity

Simeon of Beth Arsham, Letter on the Martyrdom of the Ḥimyarites

This letter survives in three distinct versions.


The "short" version:

In the "short" version of the Letter, as preserved in Pseudo-Zachariah's Chronicle, Simeon presents a first-person account of the campaign against the Christians of Najran by the Jewish king Dhū Nuwās (known in Greek sources as Dounaan). Among other things, the king relates that when his troops had finally captured the city, 'I asked for Paul their bishop, and when they said to me "He has died," I did not believe them until they showed me his tomb (ܩܒܪܗ). I had his bones (ܓܖ̈ܡܘܗܝ) dug up and I burned them along with their church and their priests and all who were found who were taking refuge in it.' (ed. Brooks 1919-1924, v. 2, p. 65; trans. Greatrex et alii 2011, p. 286).

In this "short" version of the Letter, Simeon relates that he wrote it so that 'people commemorate these heroic martyrs' (ܘܢܥܒܕܘܢ ܕܘܟܪܢܐ ܠܣܗ̈ܕܐ ܢܨܝ̈ܚܐ ܗܠܝܢ) (ed. Brooks 1919-1924, v. 2, p. 74; trans. Greatrex et alii 2011, p. 292).


The "first letter":

The so-called "first" letter of Simeon is very similar in its description of events to the "short" version, as outlined above (see ed. Guidi, p. 503), but ends with a longer injunction that these martyrs be commemorated in the Roman East:

ܢܬܥܕܥ̈ܢ ܕܝܢ ܗܢܝܢ ܘܐܦ ܗܠܝܢ ܐܦ ܠܡܕܝܢ̈ܬܐ ܕܡܗܝܡ̈ܢܐ. ܗܢܘ ܕܝܢ ܠܐܢܛܝܟܝܐ ܘܠܛܐܪܣܘܤ ܕܩܝܠܝܩܝܐ ܘܠܩܣܪܝܐ ܕܩܦܕܘܩܝܐ. ܘܠܐܘܪܗܝ ܘܠܫܪܟܐ ܕܡܕܝܢ̈ܬܐ ܕܡܗܝܡ̈ܢܐ ܘܢܥܒܕܘܢ ܕܘܟܪܢܐ ܠܣܗ̈ܕܐ ܘܠܣܗ̈ܕܬܐ ܩܕܝܫ̈ܬܐ ܕܟܬܝܒ̈ܢ ܡܢ ܠܥܠ.

'And let these [the Ḥimyarite martyrs] become also known in the cities of believers, that is Antioch, and Tarsus of Cilicia, and Caesaria of Cappadocia, and Edessa, and the rest of the cities of believers, and let them commemorate the holy male and female martyrs, about whom it is written above.' (Guidi ed. 1881, p. 514; translation: S. Minov)


The "second letter"

While the "first" letter of Simeon is very similar in its description of events to the "short" one, the "second" letter presents a more developed picture of the destruction of the body of Bishop Paulos, stating that he had been an (earlier) martyr and adding that other (unnamed) martyrs' bones were burned along with his:

ܘܟܕ ܥܒܕܘ ܠܗܘܢ ܗܟܢܐ: ܘܐܬܬܟܠܘ ܠܗܘܢ ܕܐܬܐܣܪܘ ܟܠܗܘܢ ܖ̈ܝܫܢܝܗܘܢ. ܫܕܪܘ ܡܚܕܐ ܝܘ̈ܕܝܐ ܘܚ̈ܢܦܐ ܘܠܒܟܘ ܠܟܖ̈ܝܣܛܝܢܐ ܕܒܡܕܝܢܬܐ. ܕܢܚܘܘܢ ܠܗܘܢ ܓܖ̈ܡܐ ܕܣܗ̈ܕܐ. ܘܟܢܫܘ ܐܢܘܢ ܠܟܠܗܘܢ ܓܖ̈ܡܐ ܕܣܗ̈ܕܐ: ܘܕܡܪܝ ܦܘܠܘܤ ܐܦܝܣܩܘܦܐ ܗ̇ܘ ܕܐܬܬܣܝܡ ܗܘܐ ܐܦܝܣܩܘܦܐ ܩܕܡܝܐ ܠܢܝܓܪܢ ܡܕܝܢܬܐ ܡܢ ܩܕܝܫܐ ܡܪܝ ܐܟܣܢܝܐ܇ ܗ̇ܘ ܕܡܬܩܪܐ ܦܝܠܠܘܟܣܢܘܤ ܐܦܝܣܩܘܦ[ܐ] ܕܡܒܘܓ. ܗ̣ܘ ܗܟܝܠ ܗܢܐ [ܡܪܝ] ܦܘܠܘܤ: ܒܪܘܓܡܝܐ ܕܟ̈ܐ[ܦܐ]. ܐܝܟ ܣܛܦܢܘܤ ܣܗܕܐ [ܩܕܡܝܐ.] ܟܠܝܠܐ ܕܣܗܕܘܬܐ ܫܩܠ [ܗܘܐ] ܡܢ ܝܘ̈ܕܝܐ ܕܛܒܐܪܝܐ [ܒܛܝܦܪ] ܡܕܝܢܬܐ ܕܡܠܟܘܬܐ [ܕܚܡܝܖ̈ܝܐ.] ܗܫܐ ܕܝܢ ܐܦ ܓܖ̈ܡܘ[ܗܝ ܐܘܩܕܘ] ܒܢܘܪܐ. ܥܡ [ܩܕܝܫܐ ܡܪܝ] ܦܘܠܘܤ ܐܦܝܣܩܘ[ܦܐ ܐܚܪܢܐ.] ܗ̇ܘ ܕܡܢܗ ܟܕ ܡܢܗ ܕܡܪܝ ܐܟܣܢܝܐ ܐܦܝܣܩܘܦܐ ܕܡܒܘܓ ܐܬܬܣܝܡ ܕܬܖ̈ܝܢ ܠܢܝܓܪܢ ܡܕܝܢܬܐ.

ܠܟܠܗܘܢ ܗܟܝܠ [ܓܖ̈]ܡܝܗܘܢ ܟܢܝܫܐܝܬ ܐܥܠܘ ܐܢܘܢ ܝܘ̈ܕܝܐ ܠܥܕܬܐ. ܘܟܫܘ ܐܢܘܢ ܒܡܨܥܬܗ̇ ܕܥܕܬܐ. ܘܐܥܠܘ ܠܩܫܝܫ̈ܐ ܘܠܡܫܡ̈ܫܢܐ. ܘܠܐܦܘܕܝܐܩ̈ܢܘ ܘܠܩܖ̈ܘܝܐ. ܘܠܒ̈ܢܝ ܩܝܡܐ ܘܠܒ̈ܢܬ ܩܝܡܐ. ܘܠܥܠܝܡ̈ܐ ܘܐܦ ܠܥܠܝܡ̈ܬܐ. ܗܠܝܢ ܕܥܬܝܕܝܢܢ ܕܢܟܬܘܒ ܡܢ ܫܡ̈ܝܗܘܢ ܒܫܘܠܡܗ̇ ܕܐܓܪܬܐܢ. ܘܡܠܐܘܗ̇ ܠܥܕܬܐ ܟܠܗ̇ ܡܢ ܣܦܐ ܠܣܦܐ. ܕܗ̇ܘܝܢ ܗܘܘ ܟܠܗܘܢ ܐܝܟ ܕܐܡܪܘ ܗܠܝܢ ܕܐܬܘ ܡܢ ܢܝܓܪܢ. ܬܖ̈ܝܢ ܐܠܦ̈ܝܢ ܒܢ̈ܝܢܫܐ. ܘܐܝܬܝܘ ܩܝܣ̈ܐ ܘܐܚܕܪܘܗ̇ ܠܥܕܬܐ ܡܢ ܠܒܪ. ܘܐܪܡܝܘ ܒܗ̇ ܢܘܪܐ ܘܐܘܩܕܘܗ̇ ܥܡ ܟܠ ܕܐܫܬܟܚ ܒܓܘܗ̇.

'And when they had done this to them and had made sure that all their leaders had been bound, they immediately sent (to Najran) the Jews and the pagans who (thus) captured the Christians of the city (and asked them) to show them the bones of the martyrs. And they gathered together all the bones of the martyrs and those of Mar Paul, the bishop, who had been consecrated the first bishop of Najran by the holy Mar Aksenāyā, called Philoxenos, the bishop of Mabbug (Hierapolis); for this (Mar) Paul had won the crown of martyrdom by stoning – as had Stephen, the [first] martyr – at the hands of Jews from Tiberias, in the city of [Ẓafār], the Royal City [of the Ḥimyarites]. But now they [burnt] also his bones with fire together with [the holy Mar] Paul, [the other] bishop, who was consecrated the second (bishop) of the city of Najran by the very same Mar Aksenāyā, the bishop of Mabbug (Hierapolis).

And the Jews thus brought all their [bones] together into the church and heaped them in the center of the church; and they brought in the presbyters, the deacons, the subdeacons, the readers, the sons of the covenant and the daughters of the covenant, and the laity, both men and women, some of whose names we intend to write at the end of our letter; and they filled the whole church from one side to the other, (with the Christians) all of whom came to about two thousand, as those who came from Najran have said. And they brought wood and surrounded the church from the outside and threw fire into it and burnt it together with all that was found in it."


Text and translation: Shahîd 1971, pp. vi-vii [Syriac], 46-47 [translation]

Burial site of a saint - unspecified

Destruction/hostile attempts to prevent veneration of relics

Jews

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Discussion

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