Martyrs of Sebaste (+320)

Biography

On one occasion a ritual ceremony of sacrifice to the gods was organized, but the forty legionnaires refused to attend. It was winter. Their bosses decided to make them spend the night naked in a frozen pond, near which they had hot baths for those who wanted to change their decision. One of them resigned, but his loss was immediately compensated by the conversion of a guard who replaced him in martyrdom. When morning came, those who had not succumbed were struck down with maces. They were not wanted to be buried, but their corpses were later taken to be reduced to ashes. One of them, Meliton, was still breathing, and his torturers left him aside in the hope that he would abjure. But his own mother took him in her arm and, helped by a friend, put him into one of the cars that was heading to the bonfire. The names of the martyrs have come down to us. Their names were Bibianus, Meliton, Candide, Leontius, Claudius, Nicholas, Lysimachus, Theophilus, Chiron, Domnus, Domitian, Eunoicus, Sisinius, Heraclius, Alexander, John, Athanasius, Valens, Elianus, Edicio, Acasius, Elijah, Theodulus, Cyril, Flavius, Severian, Valerius, Cudion, Sacerdon, Priscus, Eutychius, Eutyches, Smeragdo, Philotimon, Aetius, Jantheas, Augias, Hesychius, Gaius and Gorgon. This occurred under the rule of Licinius, emperor of the East, a great enemy of the Christians whom he persecuted until the year 324, when he was murdered by his brother-in-law Constantine. He thus became the master of Europe.