Eight anonymous martyrs at Nicaea in Bithynia, slain by the sword, known only from the Greek Menaea with an accompanying distich playing on the symbolism of the number eight and the Beatitudes. No further information survives.
ON THE EIGHT HOLY MARTYRS AT NICAEA IN BITHYNIA.
Commentary
Eight Martyrs at Nicaea in Bithynia (Sts.)
On the same day, say the Menaea, eight holy martyrs of Nicaea are slain by the sword. There follows this distich:
"The choir of eight falls by the sword,
That they may win the eightfold life forever."
There is an allusion to the number eight, which is considered auspicious, especially because Christ enumerated that many beatitudes in Matthew 5. But of these martyrs we have read nothing elsewhere. Many suffered martyrdom at Nicaea, but not in this number at the same time.
Feedback
Noticed an error, have a suggestion, or want to share a thought? Let me know.
Support the Translation
The Acta Sanctorum has never been available in English. This site is translating all of it: January through July are done, August is underway, and the calendar runs to November 10, where the Bollandists stopped in 1940. The scholarship pipeline is built; what remains is a compute bill. Contributions go directly to translating more of the calendar.
The Acta was a funded enterprise for three centuries; the translation runs the same way. Everything here is free and stays free whether you give or not. Wroot Press is a small independent press — an imprint of Wroot Labs LLC, not a charity. Contributions aren't tax-deductible; they buy compute.