E05716: John Malalas in his Chronographia mentions the martyrdom of *Iouventinos and Maximinos (martyrs of Antioch, S00053) and that of *Dometios (monk and martyr of Syria, S00414) under Julian the Apostate (361-363). Written in Greek at Antioch (Syria) or Constantinople, in the mid-6th c.

John Malalas, Chronographia, 13.19-20

(13.19) Ἐπὶ δὲ τῆς αὐτοῦ βασιλείας ἐμαρτύρησεν ὁ ἅγιος Δομέτιος. ἐπεστράτευσε γὰρ κατὰ Περσῶν δυνατὴν στρατείαν, καὶ κατελθὼν κατέλαβεν Ἀντιόχειαν· καὶ ἀνελθὼν ἐν τῷ ὄρει τῷ λεγομένῳ Κασίῳ, ὃς ἀπὸ τῆς Ἀντιοχείας ἓξ μίλια ἀπέχει, ἐποίησεν ἐκεῖ θυσίαν ἑκατόμβην τῷ Διὶ Κασίῳ· καὶ κατελθὼν ἐκεῖθεν καὶ ἐλθὼν εἰς Δάφνην ἐποίησεν κἀκεῖ θυσίαν τῷ Ἀπόλλωνι. καὶ παρακοιμηθεὶς ἐκεῖ εἶδεν ἐν ὁράματι παῖδα ξανθὸν λέγοντα αὐτῷ· ‘ἐν Ἀσίᾳ δεῖ σε τεθνάναι.’ εἰσερχόμενος δὲ ἀπὸ Δάφνης ἐν Ἀντιοχείᾳ ὑπηντήθη ὑπὸ τῶν συγκλητικῶν αὐτοῦ καὶ τῶν ἀξιωματικῶν αὐτοῦ καὶ τοῦ δήμου. καὶ ἔκραξαν αὐτῷ οἱ δημόται Ἀντιοχείας ὑβριστικὰς φωνάς, ὡς χριστιανοὶ θερμοὶ ὄντες, δεδωκότες αὐτῷ ἐν ταῖς αὐτῶν φωναῖς κληδόνα μὴ ὑποστρέψαι. ἀπὸ δὲ τῶν πλησίον αὐτοῦ δύο κανδιδᾶτοι χριστιανοί, ὧν τὰ ὀνόματά ἐστιν ταῦτα· Ἰουβεντῖνος καὶ Μαξιμιανός, ἀποσχίσαντες συνέμιξαν τοῖς ὑβρίζουσιν αὐτὸν ὄχλοις, πλέον ἀνεγείροντες τὸν δῆμον εἰς ὕβρεις. καὶ ἑωρακὼς αὐτοὺς Ἰουλιανὸς ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐκέλευσεν αὐτοὺς συσχεθῆναι· καὶ εὐθέως αὐτοὺς ἀπεκεφάλισεν ἐν Ἀντιοχείᾳ, καὶ ἐτέθησαν τὰ λείψανα αὐτῶν ἐν τῷ μαρτυρίῳ τῷ λεγομένῳ Κοιμητηρίῳ· οὕστινας καλοῦσιν οἱ Ἀντιοχεῖς Γεντιλίους. (…)

'(13.19) During his [Julian the Apostate's] reign Saint Dometios was martyred. Julian began a campaign with a powerful army against the Persians and on his way he came to Antioch. Going up on the mountain known as Kasios, he offered a hecatomb there in sacrifice to Zeus Kasios. Descending from there he came to Daphne and also made a sacrifice there to Apollo. He lay down to sleep there and saw in a dream a youth with fair hair saying to him, "It is fated that you die in Asia". Leaving Daphne he reached Antioch, and was met by his senators, his dignitaries and the people. Since the people of Antioch were zealous Christians, they chanted insolent words to him, giving him by their words an omen that he would not return. Two Christian candidati, whose names were Iouventinos and Maximianos, separated themselves from his entourage and mingled with the crowds who were insulting him and then further incited the people to insults. When the emperor Julian saw them, he ordered their arrest. He immediately beheaded them in Antioch and their remains were placed in the martyrium known as the Koimeterion; the Antiochenes call them "the Gentiles". (…)


(20) Καὶ ἐξελθὼν διὰ τῶν Κυρηστικῶν ἀπῆλθε κατὰ Περσῶν· παρερχόμενος δὲ διὰ Κύρου τῆς πόλεως ἐν τῇ χώρᾳ εἶδεν ὄχλον ἑστῶτα ἐν τῷ σπηλαίῳ τοῦ ἁγίου Δομετίου καὶ ἰώμενον παρ’ αὐτοῦ. καὶ ἐρωτᾷ τινας· ‘τίς ἐστιν ἐκεῖνος ὁ συναγόμενος ὄχλος;’ καὶ ἔμαθεν, ὅτι ἐν τῷ σπηλαίῳ τοῦ ὄρους ἐστὶ μοναχὸς καὶ πρὸς αὐτὸν συνάγεται ὁ ἑστὼς ὄχλος θέλων ἰαθῆναι καὶ εὐλογηθῆναι παρ’ αὐτοῦ. καὶ ἐδήλωσε τῷ ἁγίῳ Δομετίῳ ὁ βασιλεὺς Ἰουλιανὸς διὰ ῥεφερενδαρίου χριστιανοῦ ταῦτα· ‘διὰ τὸ ἀρέσαι τῷ θεῷ σου εἰς τὸ σπήλαιον εἰσῆλθες· ἀνθρώποις μὴ θέλε ἀρέσκειν, ἀλλὰ ἰδίαζε.’ καὶ ἀντεδήλωσεν αὐτῷ ὁ ἅγιος Δομέτιος, ὅτι· ‘ὡς τῷ θεῷ ἐκδόσαντός μου τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ τὸ σῶμα ἐκ πολλοῦ χρόνου ἐν τῷ σπηλαίῳ τούτῳ ἐμαυτὸν ἀπέκλεισα· τὸν δὲ πρός με ἐρχόμενον ὄχλον ἐν πίστει ἀποδιώκειν οὐ δύναμαι.’ καὶ ἐκέλευσεν ὁ βασιλεὺς Ἰουλιανὸς ἀναφραγῆναι τὸ σπήλαιον λίθοις μεγάλοις καὶ εἶναι αὐτὸν τὸν δίκαιον ἔσω. καὶ ἐκ τούτου ἐτελειώθη ὁ ἅγιος Δομέτιος ***

‘(20) He set off against the Persians, marching by way of Kyrrhestike. As he was passing by Kyrrhos, the city in the region, he saw a crowd standing at the cave of Saint Dometios and being healed by him. He asked some people what the crowd was which was gathering and learned that there was a monk in the cave on the mountain and it was around him that the crowd standing there was gathering, wishing to be healed and blessed by him. The emperor Julian sent this message to Saint Dometios through a Christian referendarius "It was to please your God that you entered this cave. Do not desire to please men, but lead a solitary life". Saint Dometios sent him a message in reply, "It is because I have devoted my soul and body to God that I shut myself up long ago in this cave. But the crowd, who come to me in faith, I cannot drive away". The emperor Julian ordered the cave to be blocked up with huge stones with the righteous man inside. Thus perished Saint Dometios.’

Text: Thurn 2000. Translation Jeffreys, Jeffreys, and Scott 1986, modified.