The Cult of Saints in Late Antiquity

Sozomen, Ecclesiastical History, 2.9-14

Summary
Sozomen recounts the persecution of Christians in Persia under Shapur II, estimating a total of 16,000 known martyrs, plus an unknown number of anonymous figures. The martyrs named are as follows:

First year of the persecution
2.9 Ousthazades (Syriac: Gushtazhad), palatine eunuch, beheaded.
2.10 Symeones, bishop of Seleucia-Ctesiphon (Symeon/Shimun Bar Sabbae) with 100 of his clerics, including the elderly presbyters Abedehalaas and Anninas. Beheaded.
2.11 Pousikes (Pusai), chief artisan of the king, and his virgin daughter. Beheaded.

Second year of the persecution
2.11 Azades, palatine eunuch and friend of king Shapur. Distraught by his death, the king limits the persecution to clerics only.
2.12 Tarboula (Tarbo), the virgin sister of Symeones (Simeon Bar Saba), with other women. They are cut into pieces by a saw.
2.13 Akepsimas (Akebeshma), bishop of Adiabene, and Iakobos, the centenarian presbyter.
Aeithalas and Iakobos, presbyters (Aithala and Hapsay?).
Azadanes and Abdiesous, deacons (Azadan and Abdishu).
The bishops Barbasymes, Paulos, Gaddiabes, Sabinos, Mareas, Mokimos, Ioannes, Hormisdas, Boulidas, Papas, Iakobos, Romas, Maares, Agas, Bochres, Abdas, Abdiesous, Ioannes, Abramios, Abdelas, Sabores, Isaak.
Dausas, captive from the village of Zabdaion, who died with the rural bishop (chorepiskopos) Mareabes and about 250 of his clerics.
2.14 Miles, former Persian soldier, who converted and became a bishop. Failing to Christianise a city, he cursed it, and it was later completely destroyed by the king’s army. Miles also went on pilgrimage to Jerusalem and to the monks of Egypt. Sozomen knows Miles' Syriac hagiography.

2.14. 3-4
(3) … οἵων δὲ τοῦτον τὸν ἄνδρα θεσπεσίων καὶ παραδόξων ἔργων δημιουργὸν γενέσθαι παρειλήφαμεν, μαρτυροῦσι Σύρων παῖδες, οἳ τὰς αὐτοῦ πράξεις καὶ τὸν βίον ἀνεγράψαντο. (4) ἐμοὶ δὲ ἀρκεῖν ἡγοῦμαι ταῦτα τέως περὶ αὐτοῦ διεξελθεῖν καὶ τῶν ἐν Περσίδι μαρτυρησάντων ἐπὶ τῆς Σαβώρου βασιλείας. σχολῇ γὰρ ἄν τις ἅπαντα τὰ ἐπ’ αὐτοῖς γεγενημένα ἀπαριθμήσαι, τίνες τε ἦσαν καὶ πόθεν ἢ πῶς τὴν μαρτυρίαν ἐπετέλεσαν καὶ ποίας τιμωρίας ὑπέμειναν· παντοδαποὶ γὰρ τῶν τοιούτων τρόποι παρὰ Πέρσαις εἰς ὠμότητα φιλοτιμουμένοις. ὡς ἔνι δὲ συλλήβδην εἰπεῖν, λέγεται τῶν τότε μαρτύρων τοὺς ὀνομαστὶ φερομένους, ἄνδρας τε καὶ γυναῖκας, εἶναι εἰς μυρίους ἑξακισχιλίους, τὴν δὲ ἐκτὸς τούτων πληθὺν κρείττω ἀριθμοῦ, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἐργῶδες φανῆναι τὰς αὐτῶν προσηγορίας ἀπαριθμήσασθαι Πέρσαις τε καὶ Σύροις καὶ τοῖς ἀνὰ τὴν Ἔδεσσαν οἰκοῦσιν, οἳ πολλὴν τούτου ἐπιμέλειαν ἐποιήσαντο.

‘The traditions about the extraordinary and admirable works this man [Miles] accomplished are attested by the Syrians who have written an account of his acts and life. (4) For my own part, I believe that what I have written about him and the other martyrs who suffered in Persia during the reign of Sabores is enough. For it would be difficult to relate every detail about them, who they were and from where, how they performed their martyrdom, and which kinds of torture they suffered. For the Persians indeed employ innumerable methods of torment, when they aspire to excel in cruelty. In sum, the number of the martyrs of that period known by name, both men and women, is said to have been about sixteen thousand, while the rest were even more, and therefore the making of a full catalogue of their names has proven to be difficult for the Persians, Syrians, and those living in Edessa, who have very diligently worked on this subject.’


Text: Bidez and Hansen 1995.
Summary and translation: E. Rizos.

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