E01890: The Acts of *Sharbel (martyr in Edessa, S01126) are written in Syriac in Edessa during the 5th c., describing the martyrdom of Sharbel and his sister *Babai (S01126) under Trajan, with an account of the recovery of their bodies, but with no reference to miraculous events.

Acts of Sharbel

Summary:

The narrative opens with the mention of an edict issued by the Roman emperor Trajan in the 15th year of his reign, which was the year 416 of the Seleucid era, in which he urges provincial governors to increase sacrifices and severely punish those who do not comply with this demand. (p. 41 of the Syriac text in Cureton's edition)

The edict arrives at the city of Edessa on the 8th of Nisan (i.e. April), the day of a great pagan festival. The whole population of Edessa is said to be gathered in the middle of the city, taking part in the solemn pagan ceremony headed by the high-priest Sharbel, in the presence of king Abgar. (pp. 41-42)

The ceremony is interrupted by the bishop Barsamya, head of the Christian community of Edessa, who addresses to Sharbel a speech, in which he admonishes the high-priest to abandon idolatry and embrace Christianity. Persuaded by the bishop's arguments, Sharbel promises to renounce paganism and become Christian. On the next day, Sharbel and his sister Babai come to Barsamya and join the Christian community, getting baptised and confessing the Trinity. Having heard the news of Sharbel's conversion, many citizens of Edessa, including prominent ones, become Christians (pp. 42-45)

When Lysanias, 'the judge of the country', hears about these events, he has Sharbel arrested and brought in to be judged 'before the altar which is in the middle of the town'. The judge demands of Sharbel why he had left the worship of the gods, and threatens him with severe tortures if he will not denounce Christianity. (pp. 45-46)

When Sharbel refuses to comply, Lysanias orders him to be scourged with thongs and torn with combs. The martyr, however, remains steadfast in his decision not to offer sacrifices and abandon his newly acquired faith and is thrown into prison. The following extensive part of the narrative contains a graphic description of various kinds of torture that the judge inflicts upon Sharbel days later, when he is brought before him again. As these fail to make the martyr change his mind, with Sharbel responding to every torture with an apposite Christian response, Lysanias sentences him to be executed by being crushed in a vice, sawn in half, and finally beheaded by the sword. (pp. 46-60)

The martyr is taken outside the city, where he is executed after being allowed to offer a short prayer. At the moment of his death, the martyr's sister Babai is said to have 'spread out her skirt and caught his blood', uttering also a brief prayer. She is immediately denounced to the judge, who orders her to be executed at the same place. Babai dies under the tortures that follow. As the executioners leave, some local Christians steal the martyrs' bodies and bury them in the burial place of the father of Abshelama, the second bishop of Edessa. The execution is said to take place on the 5th of Ilul (i.e. September). (pp. 60-61)

The narrative concludes with the statement that bishop Barsamya was active in the days of Pope Fabianus. It is followed by an account of the failed attempt to expel foreigners and to remove the relics of the apostles Peter and Paul from the city of Rome, which took place during his episcopate. (pp. 61-63; see $E01943)

Text: Cureton 1864. Summary: Sergey Minov.