Tours, Fredegarius, and Baillet.

{672}

MARCH XXIX.

SS. JONAS, BARACHISIUS, AND THEIR COMPANIONS,

MARTYRS.

From their genuine acts compiled by Esalas, a noble Armenian knight in
the troops of king Sapor, an eye witness; published in the original
Chaldaic, by Stephen Assemani, Act. Mart. Orient. t. 1, p. 211. They
were much adulterated by the Greeks in Metaphrastes. Ruinart and
Tillemont think Sapor raised no persecution before his fortieth year:
but Assemani proves from these acts, and several other monuments, a
persecution in his eighteenth year. See Praef. Gen. and p. 214, app.

A.D. 327.

KING SAPOR, in the eighteenth year of his reign, raised a bloody
persecution against the Christians, and demolished their churches and
monasteries. Jonas and Barachisius, two brothers of the city Beth-Asa,
hearing that several Christians lay under sentence of death at Hubaham,
went thither to encourage and serve them. Nine of that number received
the crown of martyrdom. After their execution, Jonas and Barachisius
were apprehended for having exhorted them to die. The president mildly
entreated the two brothers to obey the king of kings, meaning the king
of Persia, and to worship the sun, moon, fire, and water. Their answer
was, that it was more reasonable to obey the immortal King of heaven and
earth than a mortal prince. The Magians were much offended to hear their
king called mortal. By their advice the martyrs were separated, and
Barachisius was cast into a very narrow close dungeon. Jonas they
detained with them, endeavoring to persuade him to sacrifice to fire,
the sun, and water. The prince of the Magians, seeing him inflexible,
caused him to be laid fiat on his belly with a stake under his navel,
and to be beaten both with knotty clubs and with rods. The martyr all
the time continued in prayer, saying: "I thank you, O God of our father
Abraham. Enable me, I beseech you, to offer to you acceptable
holocausts. _One thing I have asked of the Lord: this will I seek
after_.[1] The sun, moon, fire, and water I renounce: I believe and
confess the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost." The judge ordered him next to
be set in a frozen pond, with a cord tied to his foot. After supper, and
a short nap, he sent for Barachisius, and told him his brother had
sacrificed. The martyr said it was impossible that he should have paid
divine honors to fire, a vile creature, and spoke much on the immensity
and power of God, and with such, el