The Commemoration of the Forty Martyrs #
One of the most beloved feasts of Great Lent among Russian Christians since ancient times has been the commemoration of the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste, who suffered in the year 320 for their faith in Christ God. The Church commemorates their memory on March 22 (March 9 according to the old style). It is striking that their martyrdom occurred seven years after 313, when religious tolerance was officially declared in the Roman Empire and Christianity ceased to be considered a criminal sect. The reason lies in the fact that Licinius, co-emperor with Constantine the Great, continued to persecute Christians in the part of the Roman Empire under his control, being a fanatical pagan. Desiring to overthrow his co-ruler and seize full power for himself, Licinius began preparing for war against Constantine. Fearing that there might be Christians in his army who would hand the victory over to their protector Constantine, he took active measures to identify the religiously “unreliable.” To this end, in particular, it was decreed that every soldier must take part in public sacrifices to idols: those Christians who refused were immediately arrested and compelled to renounce Christ, and those who refused to do so were subjected to cruel executions.
It was then that the suffering of the forty soldier-martyrs took place in the Armenian city of Sebaste. The governor there was a certain Agricola, who was not only a fanatical pagan, but also eager to “win favor with his superiors” by persecuting Christians. One of the companies under his command, consisting of forty men, turned out to be entirely made up of Christians from Cappadocia. These were brave and battle-hardened warriors, many of whom had studied the Holy Scriptures. When this was reported to Agricola, he became enraged and ordered that these soldiers be forced to publicly offer sacrifice to the pagan gods. They refused. Furious, the governor threw them into prison. The sufferers spent the entire night in prayer. And they heard a Divine voice proclaiming: “He that endureth to the end shall be saved.”
The governor then attempted to entice the soldiers of Christ with feigned goodwill. In the morning, he summoned them to himself and began to speak honeyed words, praising the young warriors for their courage, steadfastness, and strength. He told them that, since they had thus far fought valiantly for the emperor, they ought now also to fulfill his will by offering sacrifice to the gods whom the emperor honored. He promised the brave sufferers that if they submitted and offered sacrifice to the idols, they would earn the emperor’s special favor.
The soldiers replied that if they had fought courageously for an earthly king, they would stand with even greater courage and resolve for the King of Heaven.
Enraged, Agricola ordered that the sufferers be shackled in chains, but such an order exceeded his authority. Kyrion, the eldest among the martyrs, declared: “The emperor did not give you authority to place us in chains.” Fearing the emperor’s wrath, the governor rescinded his order and commanded that the martyrs be returned to prison until the arrival of the dux (military commander) Lysias, who had the authority to judge and execute soldiers.
The dux arrived in Sebaste a week later. Agricola asked him to pass judgment on the Christian soldiers. Lysias tried to persuade the holy warriors to obey the emperor’s command to offer sacrifice to the idols, threatening otherwise to strip them of their military rank. But they boldly replied: “Take not only our rank, but also our lives—there is nothing dearer to us than Christ our God!” Infuriated by such an answer, the dux ordered them to be stoned. The guards rushed to carry out the command, but a miracle occurred: all the stones missed the saints. Then, in a rage, Lysias himself hurled a stone at them, but it struck Agricola in the face instead! It became clear that an unseen power was protecting the saints from their tormentors. So once again they were led back to prison.
The Night of the Warriors Passed in Unceasing Prayer
Once again, the holy martyrs heard the voice of the Lord, saying unto them: “He that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. Be of good cheer and fear not, for ye shall receive incorruptible crowns!”
On the following morning, the saints were brought once more before the unrighteous judgment. Again, the wicked authorities sought to turn them from the light of the Christian faith to the darkness of pagan delusion—but in vain. Then the ungodly rulers devised a cruel and cunning torment for the saints.
The weather was bitterly cold, wintry in its chill. The holy martyrs were stripped and led to a frozen lake. There they were made to stand barefoot upon the ice all night, watched closely under heavy guard. Nearby, a bathhouse was heated. The martyrs were told: whoever wished to renounce Christ and offer sacrifice to the pagan gods might go and warm himself in the bathhouse. All night long the saints stood upon the icy lake. Toward morning, the frost grew sharper, and the warriors condemned to death endured it bravely—save one, who could bear no more and was tempted. He suddenly ran to the bathhouse, but upon crossing its threshold, he immediately died from the heat.
This was seen by a guard named Aglaius, to whom another divine sign was revealed: an ineffable light shone above the saints, and golden crowns began to descend from heaven upon their heads. The guard counted exactly thirty-nine crowns and understood that the one who had renounced Christ was deprived of the heavenly reward. Then, aflame with divine zeal, Aglaius roused the other guards and boldly declared himself to be a Christian! He stripped off his clothing and rushed voluntarily into the lake, standing beside the sufferers—and a new crown descended from heaven. Standing in the freezing water, Aglaius prayed: “Lord God, I believe in Thee, in Whom these warriors believe. Count me also worthy to suffer with Thy servants!”
In the morning, the martyrs were brought forth from the water, and their legs were broken, that death might come swiftly. The bodies of the martyrs were placed upon carts to be taken away for burning. The youngest of the martyrs, named Meliton, had not yet died and was left lying upon the ground. Present at the execution was Meliton’s mother, who was fervently praying to God for him. She lifted her suffering son and carried him after the cart. The martyr died as he was being borne in her arms. The grieving mother laid the body of her son upon the cart, beside the bodies of his fellow sufferers. They were burned in a great fire, and only their bones remained.
Three days later, Bishop Peter of Sebaste received a vision: the martyrs appeared to him and asked that their remains be buried. The bishop, together with several clergy, gathered the bones of the glorious martyrs in secret by night and gave them honorable burial.
While still imprisoned, the saints had dictated their final testament to a young man named Eunoeus. From this document we know the names of each of the forty martyrs: Kyrion, Candidus, Domnus, Hesychius, Heracleus, Smaragdus, Eunoeus, Valens, Vivianus, Claudius, Priscus, Theodulus, Eutychius, John, Xanthias, Helianus, Sisinnius, Angius, Aetius, Flavius, Acacius, Ecdycius, Lysimachus, Alexander, Elias, Gorgonius, Theophilus, Domitianus, Gaius, Leontius, Athanasius, Cyril, Sacerdon, Nicholas, Valerius, Philoctymōn, Severianus, Chudion, Meliton, and Aglaius.
In honor of these saints, the Church of Christ has appointed a feast, which always falls during Great Lent—on March 9 according to the old calendar (March 22 new style).
Holy forty great martyrs, pray unto God for us!