Abdiesus Bishop
Acta Sanctorum, May 16
Source text: Public Domain. English translation/apparatus/encoding: CC BY-NC 4.0, Wroot Press.
https://actasanctorum.org/may/day-16/abdiesus-bishop.html
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ON S. ABDIESUS BISHOP, XVI PRESBYTERS, IX DEACONS,

VI MONKS, VII VIRGINS, ALSO ABDAS BISHOP, PRESBYTERS,

DEACONS, VIRGINS XXVIII,

MARTYRS IN PERSIA.

ABOUT 350

[Commentary]

Abdiesus Bishop, Martyr in Persia (S.)

Presbyters XVI, Martyrs in Persia (SS.)Deacons IX, Martyrs in Persia (SS.)Monks VI, Martyrs in Persia (SS.)Virgins VII, Martyrs in Persia (SS.)Abdas Bishop, Martyr in Persia (S.)

Presbyters, Deacons, Virgins, XXVIII, Martyrs in Persia (SS.)

BY THE AUTHOR G. H.

A most accurate encomium of these Martyrs
is had in a very ancient Greek MS. Synaxarium
of the Church of Constantinople, belonging to
the Clermont College of the Society of Jesus at Paris, [Encomium from a Ms. Synaxarium,] & in Latin
expressed thus sounds: On the same day XVI May, the contest
of the holy Martyrs Abdas & Abdiesus Bishops,
& sixteen Presbyters, nine Deacons,
& six monks & seven Virgins, from
the country of Chaschara. S. Abdiesus the Bishop established
in the city of Persia Beth-Chaschar, by his own paternal cousin
was circumvented & denounced to the King of the Persians.
He was apprehended therefore & to him led down,
with thirty-nine other Christians. Interrogated
by the King he confessed Christ: & with the said
companions thirty-nine sent away to Arseth the King's
brother, that by him he might be subjected to torments. When he came,
him with divine speeches prudently refuting,
he affected with stupor. Wherefore bound by ropes,
& between woods compressed, & his bones broken.
So also the other Saints were with such vehement violence
crushed, that from their bones a sound and crackling
came forth. With which torment seven times a day they were
afflicted: then as if dead in prison thrown, with no
command of the tyrant given for food: having received however
bread & water, through some woman through a window
extended, they glorified God. After these things
also Abdas the Bishop was apprehended, with twenty-eight,
Presbyters, & Deacons, & Virgins holy
women, into the same prison was thrust.
Whence drawn out, with grave blows they were beaten, & the mouths
of them crushed with stones; & afterwards their heads cut off.
After some days drawn out the holy Abdiesus with
his own, & he himself was beheaded. Thus far that MS. Synaxarium.

[2] The same, here and there contracted, are read in the Menology
Greek of Basil Porphyrogenitus the Emperor: in which are said
twenty-eight with Abdas the Bishop thrust into prison, [& other Menologies & Menaea.]
& by S. Abdiesus the Bishop instructed. With
the Synaxarium plainly the same, but on XV May, are read in
MS. Menaea of Milan of the Ambrosian library marked with
letter O & number 148, & double of Turin
of the Duke of Savoy, in the first of which they were also reported
on XV May, in others on this XVI, as also in MS. Menaea
at Dijon with Petrus Franciscus Chifletius
found. In the printed Menaea & in Maximus Bishop of Cythera
a thin compendium is had. [Their mention in Sozomen & on 22 April.] We treated
on the day XXII April of various Persian Martyrs, & gave
Acts of martyrdom from the Ecclesiastical History of Sozomen
book 2, chap. 10 & three following, where no. 5 among various
Bishops are reported Abdas & Abdiesus with an infinite
multitude of Presbyters, Deacons,
monks & holy Virgins; nor do we doubt
that these, by us on this day reported, there are recensed,
& are together under Sapor King of the Persians killed. But
since they have this & the preceding day consecrated to their memory,
we have judged their Acts, as we had them, here
to be reported.

[3] The Chiffletian as I said MS. above the rest to
the praises of each attentive, after his manner after the just-related encomium
subjoins these distichs:
Ἄμφω
πρὸ
τῶν
σῶν
Ἀβδᾶ
Μάρτυς
ὀμμάτων,
Τομεὺς
κεφαλῆς
καὶ
βραβεὺς
θείου
στέφους.
Both before your eyes, Martyr Abdas, are
the Giver of the heavenly crown & the cutter of the head.
Ἐκδοὺς
ἑαυτὸν
Ἀβδιήσους
τῷ
ξίφει,
Ὁρᾷν
Ἰησοῦν
ἀξιώθη
τὸν
μέγαν.
While Abdiesus delivered himself to the sword,
to see Jesus the great he was made worthy.
Τοὺς
ἱερεῖς
σου
Σῶτερ
ἔκτεινε
ξίφος,
Την
ἱεράν
σου
μὴ
προσδόντας
ἀξίαν.
The sword killed, O Christ, your Priests,
who did not betray your dignity.
Τοὺς
τρισσάκις
τρεῖς
Λεϋίτας
τετμημέν ους,
Στὲφει
Θεὸς
δὶς,
ὡς
ἀθλῆται
λέβητας.
Three times three Levites beheaded God
twice crowned, as athletes the cauldrons.
Where you ought to remember the athletic prizes, in which
everywhere are named cauldrons. Thus Aeneas in Virgil
book 5 in the nautical contest to the victors
makes third gifts twin cauldrons of bronze.
But as the very gifts crowned were proposed, & with these the victorious
athletes doubled the crown, by imposing in addition
their own; thus is indicated God, who for nine Levites, with the Levitic
crown already before notable, had contended, the same as reported
by Him with the prizes of glorious contest imposed another
crown. Universally however among guest-gifts were numbered cauldrons,
thus to the departing Telemachus Menelaus Odyssey o offers
Ἠέ
τινα
τριπόδων
εὐχάλκων
ἠὲ
λεβήτων.
& in Ovid you read,
Twenty great cauldrons of wrought bronze.
Finally on the numbers of seven Virgins & six monks,
this distich plays.
Εἰ
Παρθένων
δέδωκεν
ἑπτάδα
ξίφει,
Πῶς
οὐ
παρέξει
κᾂν
μονὴ
την
ἑξάδα;
If a cell to the sword has given seven Virgins,
will not even a single one give the senary number?
But there is a play in the word, which oxytone μονὴ a cell, monastery;
paroxytone μόνη single, simple is.

[4] In the Menology of Sirletus these things are read: Of the holy
Martyrs Audesius (rather Abdiesus) Bishop, of sixteen Presbyters,
of nine Deacons, [imperfect memory in Sirletus & Baronius,] of seven Virgins
from the country Charcar, omitting the six monks.
With which Menology cited these things are read in today's Roman
Martyrology: In Persia of the holy Martyrs
Audas Bishop, of seven Presbyters, of nine
Deacons & of seven Virgins, who under Isdegard
the King with various kinds of torments tortured,
completed glorious martyrdom. Thus there. But
of S. Abdiesus the Bishop, not of Audas or rather of Abdas
were the companions, & indeed Presbyters sixteen, Deacons
nine, monks six, Virgins seven, who together
with S. Abdiesus were thirty-nine reported above. S.
Abdas indeed the Bishop had companions twenty-eight, from
Presbyters, Deacons & Virgins, who all were
beheaded. Other than this is S. Abdas Bishop in
Persia, much younger & under Isdegerdes the King having suffered, of
whom we treated among the Passed Over on the day XXXI March, on account of
the authority of Baronius then opining one and the same to be,
which the whole matter better discussed we retract; & in the Supplement
of March about him & Beniaminus and others then having suffered martyrdom
will be to treat.
