Martyrs Theodula — Acta Sanctorum

ON THE HOLY MARTYRS THEODULA, BOETHUS, EVAGRIUS, MACARIUS, AND OTHERS, AT ANAZARBUS IN CILICIA.

UNDER DIOCLETIAN.

Preface

Theodula, Martyr, at Anazarbus in Cilicia (St.) Boethus, Martyr, at Anazarbus in Cilicia (St.) Evagrius, Martyr, at Anazarbus in Cilicia (St.) Macarius, Martyr, at Anazarbus in Cilicia (St.) Other Martyrs, at Anazarbus in Cilicia

I. B.

[1] Anazarbus was the metropolis of Cilicia Secunda; in Ptolemy, Geography, book 5, chapter 8, it is called Kaisareia

pros Anazarbo, "Caesarea near Anazarbus": it seems to be the city which Pliny called Caesaraugusta; for in book 5, chapter 27, he says: "In the interior, those who are to be mentioned are the Anazarbeni, [the Anazarban Martyrs Theodula, Boethus, Evagrius, Macarius on February 5; Helladius on January 24.] who are now called Caesaraugustani." That city, when Diocletian was persecuting the Church, produced illustrious Martyrs: Theodula, Helladius, Boethus, Evagrius, Macarius, and others. All of these are unknown to the Latin Calendars, but are commemorated in the Greek Menaea on February 5: except that Helladius belongs to January 24, where we have treated of him. Boethus (which means "helper") won his crown the day before Theodula completed her martyrdom; but since we have not found his name in any Martyrology, we preferred to join him here with Theodula, from whom he learned the faith. There are many Martyrs named Evagrius and Macarius elsewhere; but none found together, none at Anazarbus.

[2] The Menaea celebrate Theodula again on January 18 with this encomium: commemoration of St. Theodula on January 18.

"The servants of false gods declare That Theodula was slain by the sword."

She was born in the city of the Anazarbeni, when Diocletian was Emperor. Having confessed Christ, she was brought before the Governor Pelagius, her torments. and severely beaten, and performed wonders, and drew many to the faith of Christ: among these were Helladius the Commentariensis, and Boethus, who were beheaded: and the breasts of Theodula were pierced with red-hot iron awls. Then she was suspended by her hair from a cypress tree, and her feet were fastened with iron nails. Finally she was thrown into a burning furnace with other Saints, and after a long prayer, stretching her hands to heaven and giving

thanks, she surrendered her spirit.

Was she a virgin? Her entire struggle is narrated more fully on February 5, where, however, there is no mention of nails driven through her feet. The city which in the February account is called Azarbon is here called Anazarbeon polis, the city of the Anazarbeni. Our Francis Lahier calls it Azarabum in his great Menology of Virgins; for he too makes her a Virgin, as does our Matthew Rader in his unpublished Latin translation of the Menaea. But there is not a word in the Menaea from which this may be concluded.

ACTS FROM THE MENAEA.

From the Greek Menaea. Translated by I. B.

Theodula, fellow-servant, did not fear the fire, Who had placed her hopes in God as a handmaid.

[1] St. Theodula suspended by her hair, When Diocletian and Maximian were reigning, a certain Pelagius was sent to the city of Anazarbus to make inquiry against the Christians. Soon St. Theodula was apprehended and brought before the tribunal of Pelagius: where, having confessed Christ before all as the true God, she was suspended by her hair from a cypress, and her breasts were pierced with red-hot iron awls. tortured with burning awls in her breasts: Then she, addressing the Governor, said: "Where are your gods? Show them to me, so that, as far as I can strive with all my power, I may venerate them." Immediately let down, she was sent to the temple of Hadrian, one of the most celebrated and famous. Entering it, she poured forth prayers to God; she shatters the idol by her breath, and by her breath alone, she cast the statue of Hadrian to the ground, broken into three pieces. Then going out to the Governor, she said: "Go in and extend a helping hand to your god Hadrian, for he has been shattered by a grievous fall." He rushed in hastily, and seeing the statue broken into three parts, burst into rage and wailing.

[2] When the Emperor learned of this, he ordered a chief courtier to proceed to the city of Anazarbus, to ascertain whether what had been reported concerning the idol was true, and to throw the Governor to the wild beasts. then, to rescue the Governor from danger, she restores it by her prayers: When the Governor learned this, he fell at the feet of St. Theodula, beseeching her with many tears to entreat her God that He might restore the shattered statue and replace it in its former position: if she did this, he would become a Christian. Accordingly, when the Saint prayed to God, immediately by Divine command the statue which had been broken was entirely restored and replaced in its position.

[3] When the Legate learned of this, he departed thence and reported to the Emperor. The Emperor commanded the Governor by letter to first torture the Saint with various and bitter punishments, again tortured with awls, and then to put her to a cruel death. But the Governor again ordered her flesh to be lacerated with red-hot iron awls. When this was being done, and that wretched and ruined man was aggrieved that he was accomplishing nothing with so many torments, then the Commentariensis said: "Give me power to torture her, and if I do not persuade her to sacrifice to Hadrian, cut off my own head." then with nails driven in: Pelagius therefore granting him authority over the Saint, he ordered five nails to be prepared, and drove two into her ears, a third into her forehead, and the remaining two into the breasts of the Saint. When these had been driven in deeply, she, raising the eyes of her mind to heaven, prayed to God that He would grant her strength and constancy to endure this intolerable kind of punishment. Nor was it long before the Commentariensis, observing her noble fortitude, she converts Helladius the Commentariensis; by which she counted the most bitter torments as nothing, and aware that he had wagered the peril of his own head if his plan should not succeed, brought her to his own house, and urged her to burn incense to the idols with him. She prayed to God on his behalf and, softening him with pious words, at length persuaded him to give his name to Christ. On the following morning the Commentariensis approached the tribunal of the Governor with her, and thus addressed him: "I was unable to pervert the servant of what is assuredly the true God, or to lead her from the good and right way. She rather drew me from the darkness of ignorance and illuminated the intelligible eyes of my heart, and he is crowned with martyrdom on January 24: and brought me to my Lord Jesus Christ, the true God." When the Governor heard these words, burning with rage, he ordered his head to be struck off with a sword and his body to be thrown into the sea. And thus the Commentariensis Helladius (for that was his name) completed his confession on the 24th day of January.

[4] The Governor then ordered Theodula to be thrown into the midst of a most fiercely burning furnace. she is unharmed in the furnace, But she stood unharmed in the middle of the furnace, meanwhile praying to God and praising Him. At this the Governor, driven to despair, exclaimed: "I do not know what I ought to do with this woman, who is subject to a violent death." Then one of the bystanders, Boethus by name, said: "Hand her over to me. I am not so foolish as to allow myself to be deceived by her and led into error, as the Commentariensis was." When the Governor consented, he took her and brought her home with him. she converts Boethus, And he too, receiving the words of the blessed woman into his heart, as the Commentariensis had before him, was changed in mind: and on the next day he went with Theodula to the Governor and said: "As far as concerns us, O Governor, I too stand before you, myself also confessing that Christ is the true God, and that I raised vain hopes in you by my promises. For it is better who, confessing Christ and reproaching the Governor for ingratitude, that, having failed in my promise, I should become a co-heir of Christ, than that, performing what I said, I should be condemned to the fires of hell. But you, who ought to have given thanks to our true God, who had delivered you from present danger, and to have come to Him, as you had promised; not only have you done none of these things, but openly ungrateful, you have subjected this woman, who so greatly deserved your gratitude, to intolerable torments." So he spoke.

[5] he finishes his life by martyrdom: But the Governor ordered his head to be cut off with a sword: and that the Saint be stretched out upon a gridiron thoroughly aflame, and be drenched with boiling pitch, oil, and wax, so that the gridiron itself might burn the more fiercely. Theodula is unharmed on the burning gridiron, And Boethus indeed, completing his martyrdom by the sword, passed to Christ. But the Blessed Theodula, having prayed to God, mounted the gridiron: which, as soon as it received the sacred body, was suddenly broken, and hurling frequent sparks upon the bystanders, burned many of them. The Saint was cast back into prison, she is then put to death by fire, with Saints Evagrius, Macarius, and others. and on the following day, when a great pyre had again been kindled, she was thrown into it, together with Evagrius and Macarius and not a few others, and attained a blessed end.

Annotations

a There is a play on words in the terms Theodoule (servant of God), syndoulos (fellow-servant), doulikos (in the manner of a servant).

b Namely, as Spartianus writes, "Antoninus established for Hadrian a temple at Puteoli in place of a sepulchre, and a quinquennial contest, and flamens and sodales, and many other things which pertain to the honor of one regarded as a divinity. For this reason... many think that Antoninus was called Pius on account of these things." Elsewhere also (as is evident from this account) a temple and statue were erected to him.

c Perhaps a river or lake; for Anazarbus is not situated by the sea: or certainly he ordered the body of the Martyr to be carried thence to the sea.

d He calls her Biothanē, as other writers often call Christians Biothanatoi and Biaiothanatoi, as Baronius shows from ancient writers in volume 2 of the Annals, at the year 138, number 5.