E02525: The Homily (memrā) on the Youths of Ephesus (the *Seven Sleepers of Ephesus, S00287) is written in Syriac during the late 5th/early 6th c. by Jacob of Serugh (c. 451-521). It retells the story of the young men who fell asleep in a cave during the persecution of the emperor Decius and woke two-hundred years later.

Jacob of Serugh, Homily on the Youths of Ephesus

Brief summary:

In his exposition of the young men's story, the author proceeds along the main narrative line of their life as found in the Syriac Story of the Sleepers of Ephesus (see $E...). The homily opens with a brief invocation of Christ and announcement of the topic (p. 23 of Brock's translation). In the main section the story of the youths is retold: when the emperor Decius visits the city of Ephesus, he builds temples to several pagan deities and demands that the citizens offer sacrifices there; a group of eight Christian young men refuse to comply and are threatened with court action (pp. 23-25). When Decius leaves Ephesus for a while, the youths hide in a cave on the mountain in the city's vicinity, where God 'took their spirits and raised them up above, to heaven, and left a watcher to be guarding their limbs.' When Decius returns to the city, he orders the youths to be immured in the cave (pp. 24-25).

As the pagan era passes, God wishes to awaken them: a wealthy man of Ephesus, who wants to build a sheepfold, removes the stones at the cave's entrance and the youths are awakened by the light. One of the youths, named Yamlikhā, goes down to the city to assess the situation and buy food (pp. 25-26). As the young man enters Ephesus, he is startled by the sign of the cross on the city's gates; when he tries to buy bread, the locals are astounded by the old-fashioned coins he is trying to use and think that has found a hoard. When the news reaches the city's bishop, he summons the young man and inquires about his identity; when the young man relates that he and his companions hid during the time of Decius, the whole city rushes to the cave, to see them (pp. 26-29). Having seen this 'living treasure', they send a letter to the emperor Theodosius, inviting him to come and observe the miracle; when the emperor arrives, he tries to persuade the youths 'to come down with him in the midst of Ephesus, and he would build a shrine over their bodies', but they prefer to remain in the cave; after he leaves them, they fall asleep again (p. 30).