CONCERNING THE HOLY GOTHIC MARTYRS BATHUSES AND VERCAS, PRIESTS, WITH TWO SONS AND DAUGHTERS, ARPYLAS, ABEPAS, CONSTANS, HAGNAS, RHYAS, EGATHRAX, HESCOUS, SYLAS, SIGETZAS, SUERILAS, SUIMBLAS, THERMAS, PHILGAS, ANNA, ALLAS, BARIS, MOICO, MAMYCA, VIRCO, ANIMAIS.
ABOUT THE YEAR 370
CommentaryBathuses, Priest, Martyr in Gothia on the Danube (St.)
Vercas, Priest, Martyr in Gothia on the Danube (St.)
Two Sons, Martyrs in Gothia on the Danube (SS.) Two Daughters, Martyrs in Gothia on the Danube (SS.) Arpylas, Martyr in Gothia on the Danube (St.)
Abebas, Martyr in Gothia on the Danube (St.)
Constans, Martyr in Gothia on the Danube (St.)
Hagnas, Martyr in Gothia on the Danube (St.)
Rhyas, Martyr in Gothia on the Danube (St.)
Hegatrax, Martyr in Gothia on the Danube (St.)
Hescous, Martyr in Gothia on the Danube (St.)
Sylas, Martyr in Gothia on the Danube (St.)
Sigetzas, Martyr in Gothia on the Danube (St.)
Suerilas, Martyr in Gothia on the Danube (St.)
Suimblas, Martyr in Gothia on the Danube (St.)
Thermas, Martyr in Gothia on the Danube (St.)
Philgas, Martyr in Gothia on the Danube (St.)
Anna, Martyr in Gothia on the Danube (St.)
Allas, Martyr in Gothia on the Danube (St.)
Baris, Martyr in Gothia on the Danube (St.)
Moico, Martyr in Gothia on the Danube (St.)
Mamyca, Martyr in Gothia on the Danube (St.)
Virco, Martyr in Gothia on the Danube (St.)
Animais, Martyr in Gothia on the Danube (St.)
[1] The Patrician Trajan in his history, as reported by Theophanes in the last year of Valens, is the authority that the Scythians were called Goths in their own vernacular language: and it is sufficiently established from the deeds of the Greek Emperors that the Gothic name, extended to the banks of the Danube, The Goths around the Danube, infidels was from there always either hostile or suspect to the Roman Empire in Thrace, particularly under those Emperors who, being polluted with the Arian stain, provoked God to raise up these adversaries against them. When and by whom the Christian faith was first announced to the Goths is not found recorded in writing: we only know that the whole nation, pagan from its origin and addicted to the worship of idols, received some cultivation of orthodox preaching long before those who seemed to hold the first place, and spread the terror of the Gothic name far and wide through the provinces of the West, embraced Arianism, persuaded by the Arian Bishop Ulphilas. For we shall see at April 12 that St. Sabas the Goth was crowned with a distinguished Martyrdom and hurled into the river Musaeus (perhaps the one which intersects present-day Wallachia and is named Missow in the maps), and we shall give the history of his passion, who persecuted the nascent Church among them. written by the church which was then in Gothia to that which was in Cappadocia and the others scattered throughout the whole world: in which it commemorates the frequent persecutions raised against them by the Princes and magistrates of Gothia, who compelled them to eat things offered to idols.
[2] When these things were being written, the year 350 of the Christian Era had passed, marked by the Consulship of Modestus and Arinthaeus: the agent of cruelty exercised against Sabas had been Atharidus, son of the chieftain Rhotestus: A certain chieftain of theirs, Jungerichus on the other hand, from the same nation, the faithful leader Jossoran had transferred the body of the Martyr, extracted from the waters, to Romania. From this time onward the affairs of the faith among the Goths remained obscure, until the joint empire of Valentinian, Valens, and Gratian, to be reckoned from the year 364, when by a similar impiety of King Jungerichus (the Menologium of the Emperor Basil calls him Wingurichus), as many Martyrs are recorded as having been burned in a church for the worship of the orthodox faith, as suffice to equal the notation of the day with which we are concerned, as the Menaia testify with this couplet:
Τόσην πυρὶ φλέγουσι πληθὺν Μαρτύρων, Ὅσας ἄγει μὴν σήμερον τὰς ἡμέρας.
They burn by fire so great a multitude of Martyrs, As many as the month today has days.
The Menaia printed and the Claromontani Synaxarion exhibit their names, 26 Martyrs with some diversity of spelling, as is wont to happen with barbarian names: the two Priests Bathuses or Aathuses and Vercas or Vericas, with two sons of their own (in the printed editions it is "his") and two daughters, and Arpyla, leading the solitary life (in the manuscript it is "and Arpylas the Solitary"). The laypeople: Abepas or Abippas. Constans, omitted in the printed editions, Hagnas or Hagias, Rhyas or Vias, Hegathrax or Egathrax, Hescous or Iscoës, Sylas or Silas, Sigitzat or Siditzat, Suerilas, Suimblas or Suimplas, Thermas or Therthas, Philgas. And six women who died with them: Anna, Allas or Halas, Paris or Barka, Moico, Mamyca or Mamica, Virco or Vico, and Animais. About all of whom, twenty-six in number (counting the one we supplied from the manuscript), the following is read in the above-cited Menaia and Synaxarion:
These were under Jungerichus, King of the Goths, and the Roman Emperors Valentinian, Valens, and Gratian (the printed editions have only Gratian); and from Jungerichus for the confession of Christ they received the crown of martyrdom through fire, he burns them with the church: when he set fire to a Christian church: for the holy Martyrs were burned together in it. At which time it also happened that a certain man, who was bringing his offering to the same church, was seized, and confessing the name of Christ, he too was made a holocaust through fire.
These things are narrated there in almost the same words in the Menologium of the Emperor Basil: in which consequently these things are also read. The relics of these were collected by the wife of another Prince (for Wingurichus too is there called only ἄρχων or Prince) of the Gothic nation, whose relics Gaatho the Queen transfers to Romania: a Christian and orthodox woman, with Priests and laypeople: and transferring her jurisdiction to her son, she traveled from place to place, until she came into the province of the Romans, and with her, her daughter. Then she returned again to her own territory, leaving the Relics to her daughter: who going to Cyzicus, left part of them to that city, and thus ended her life.
The same translation of those Relics is found in another Synaxarion manuscript of the same Grottaferrata, augmented with many notable circumstances in this manner: of these, her daughter Ducilla deposits a part at Cyzicus: The relics of these were collected by Gaatho, a Christian and orthodox Queen of another nation among the Goths, having as companions Priests and a certain layman named Thyellas. Leaving the kingdom to her son Arimerius, she changed her place from place, and came into the land of the Romans. And her daughter Ducilla came with her also. Afterwards she sent word to her son to come to her, and she returned with him, leaving the Relics to Ducilla. And Ducilla came to Cyzicus under the empire of Valentinian and Theodosius, and gave a part of the relics to that blessed city. Thyellas also, having returned again to Gothia, Gaatho and Thyellas are stoned. was stoned together with Gaatho: but Ducilla at last rested in peace. From which it follows that all these things occurred before the end of the fourth century. For Valentinian the Elder, having obtained the empire in the year 375, four years later took as his colleague Theodosius the Great; who died in 395, not a full three years surviving Valentinian the Younger.