Forty Martyrs of Sebaste

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Ivory relief 40 Martyrs of Sebaste , Museum of Byzantine Art , Berlin

The Forty Martyrs of Sebaste (also simply "the forty martyrs"; Gr .: (classic): Ἃγιοι Τεσσεράκοντα, ( Dimotiki ): Άγιοι Σαράντα) were soldiers who on March 9th between 320 and 323 in Sebaste in Lesser Armenia , today Sivas in Turkey , in the course of the persecution of Christians under Emperor Licinius because of their confession to Christianity and were executed. The number forty has a symbolic meaning in Christianity .

Vita

The legend after they came from different countries, but all belonged to the Legio XII Fulminata (Thunder) to. When they refused to sacrifice to the Roman gods , they had to completely undress and spend a night on a frozen lake. On the bank, a heated bathhouse invited those who understood and turned away from Christianity to warm up. But only one went to the bathhouse. When he stepped on it, he fell dead. A soldier who was supposed to guard the Christians saw a phenomenon of light above them, converted to Christianity, took off his clothes and stood by the frostbite. The next morning when they were miraculously still alive, their limbs were broken. Their bodies were then cremated and the ashes thrown into a river. The legend underlines again and again the "joyful going to death". This radical stance is typical of early Christianity and was only partially revised when Christianity became the state religion . The narrative is also an example of the popularity of Christianity in the Roman army .

reception

Numerous relics are attributed to them. The saints were the original patrons of today's Santissime Stimmate di San Francesco church in Rome .

The Armenian Cathedral of the Forty Martyrs in Aleppo is dedicated to them, as is the Roman Oratory of the Forty Martyrs and the Church of Santi Quaranta Martiri Pisani in Palermo.

Names

The names mentioned are: Candidus (an officer), Kyrion, Domnus, Hesykhios, Heraclios, Smaragdes, Eunoikos, Valentus, Bibianus, Claudius, Priscus, Theodoulos, Eutychios, Johannes, Xanthios, Ilianus, Sisinios, Angus, Flavian, Aetius, Akakios , Ekdikios, Lysimachos, Alexander, Iliad, Gorgonios, Theophilos, Dometian, Caius, Leontius, Athanasias, Cyrill, Sacerdonus, Nikolaus, Valerius, Philoktimos, Severian, Khudion, Meliton and Aglaios. However, the information varies depending on the denomination.

Representations in art

In the Byzantine art was the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste a popular topic. In the West, the saints played a certain role in late antiquity, but were then forgotten. Today, however, they are also saints of the Catholic Church (Memorial Day is March 9th). Typical of the representation is the drastic display of human suffering. In the liturgy, too, the forty martyrs are important primarily because of their sufferings:

"Through the sufferings of the saints who endured for you, Lord, philanthropic You, we ask you to heal all our sufferings."

An ivory panel probably carved in Constantinople from the 10th century, the middle part of a triptych , reproduces the scene in a classic way. It bears the inscription οι αγιοι τεσσερακοντα (the forty saints). The plaque is in the collection of the Museum of Byzantine Art in the Bode Museum in Berlin .

Remembrance day

  • Roman Catholic: March 9th (March 11th in Gnesen)
  • Orthodox: March 9 (August 9: restoration of the Church of the Forty Martyrs)
  • Syrian Orthodox: March 9th
  • Armenian: March 9th (4th Saturday of Lent: liturgical celebration)
  • Coptic: March 9th (February 9th: Consecration of the Church of the Forty Martyrs, June 5th: Consecration of the Chapel of the Forty Martyrs in the Church of the Savior in Alexandria)
  • Protestant: March 10th (Forty Knights of Sebaste)

swell

literature

Web links

Commons : Forty Martyrs of Sebaste  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Ekkart Sauser :  Forty Martyrs of Sebaste. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 12, Bautz, Herzberg 1997, ISBN 3-88309-068-9 , Sp. 1379-1380.  ( Article / beginning of article in Internet archive ) ; Accessed December 13, 2009
  2. ↑ Ecumenical Lexicon of Saints ; Accessed December 13, 2009
  3. ^ Troparion of the Eastern Liturgy on March 9; quoted after: Ekkart Sauser :  Forty Martyrs from Sebaste. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 12, Bautz, Herzberg 1997, ISBN 3-88309-068-9 , Sp. 1379-1380.  ( Article / beginning of article in Internet archive ) ; Accessed December 13, 2009.
  4. ↑ Forty Martyrs of Sebaste
  5. ↑ Orthodox Church honors the forty martyrs