E04003: Socrates in his Ecclesiastical History records a tradition about *Alexandros the Paphlagonian (Novatian ascetic and martyr of Constantinople, ob. 350s, S01540), buried in a Novatian church, named after him, on the upper part of the Golden Horn in Constantinople. Written in Greek at Constantinople, 439/446.

Socrates, Ecclesiastical History, 2.38.11-13

The author recounts the persecution of the Homoousian communities (Catholic and Novatian) in Constantinople during the episcopate of Macedonius in the 350s.

11. Ταῦτα δὲ ἐγὼ παρὰ τοῦ μακροχρονιωτάτου Αὐξάνοντος ἤκουσα, οὗ καὶ ἐν τῷ πρώτῳ βιβλίῳ μνήμην πεποίημαι, ὃς πρεσβύτερος μὲν ἦν τῆς τῶν Ναυατιανῶν θρησκείας, 12. πεπονθέναι δὲ ἔλεγεν καὶ αὐτὸς οὐκ ὀλίγα παρὰ τῶν ἀρειανιζόντων κακά, οὔπω τηνικαῦτα τῆς τοῦ πρεσβυτέρου ἀξίας τυχών, ἅμα δὲ Ἀλεξάνδρῳ Παφλαγόνι συνασκοῦντι αὐτῷ εἰς εἱρκτὴν βεβλῆσθαι καὶ πληγὰς εἰληφέναι πολλάς. 13. Καὶ ἐνεγκεῖν μὲν τὰς βασάνους αὐτὸς ἔλεγεν, Ἀλέξανδρον δὲ ἐν τῇ εἱρκτῇ ὑπὸ τῶν πληγῶν τελευτῆσαι· ὃς τέθαπται νῦν ἐν δεξιᾷ εἰσπλεύσαντι τὸν Βυζάντιον κόλπον, ὃς καλεῖται Κέρας, πλησίον τῶν ποταμῶν, οὗ καὶ ἐκκλησία ἐστὶ τῶν Ναυατιανῶν Ἀλεξάνδρου ἐπώνυμος.

'I heard about these things from Auxanon, the very long-lived presbyter of the Novatian religion, of whom I spoke in the first book. He also said that he had himself endured quite a few severities from the Arians. Then not yet promoted to the dignity of presbyter, he was thrown into prison and received several blows, together with Alexandros the Paphlagonian, his companion in the monastic life. He said that he endured the tortures, but Alexandros died in prison from his injuries. He is now buried on the right of those sailing into the bay of Byzantium, which is called the Horn, close by the rivers, where there is a church of the Novatians named after Alexandros.’

Text: Hansen 1995.
Translation: E. Rizos.