Rodrigo and Solomon (+837)

Biography

Rodrigo had two brothers, one Catholic and the other Muslim, who continually argued about religion. One day when they had come to blows, Rodrigo tried to separate them, but the two turned furiously against him for stopping them. And each of the contenders gave him everything they reserved for the other. The beating was so severe that they believed they had killed him. For fear of the caliph's police, the Catholic put his foot down. The Muslim placed the body on a stretcher and, with the help of some friends, paraded it throughout Córdoba shouting: "Look at my beloved brother, murdered because of the Prophet by a Christian criminal!" But the dead man suddenly resurrected and clarified that he had never been a Muslim and that he loved Christ above all things, so they imprisoned him. There he met Solomon, accused of proselytizing, a crime that the law punished with death. They became great friends. They prayed together and exhorted each other to have faith and be brave at the supreme moment. It was in vain that the judge separated them, trying to make one believe that the other had apostatized. They mocked him and advised him not to condemn himself for his crimes and lies. They died beheaded the same day.