E07156: Sophronius of Jerusalem, in his Miracles of the Saints Cyrus and John, recounts how *Kyros/Cyrus and Ioannes/John (physician and soldier, martyrs of Egypt, S00406) punished and then healed a certain Athanasia who doubted their sainthood on account of the lack of reliable trial records for their martyrdom. Written in Greek in Alexandria, 610/615.

Sophronius of Jerusalem, The Miracles of Saints Cyrus and John, 29

There was a certain woman Athanasia, wife of Markellinos, who came from a very rich and noble family. She did not believe in Cyrus and John's sanctity. She believed that they were not martyrs and had not suffered for Christ, because there was no written trial record of their martyrdom, except for Cyril of Alexandria’s sermons recounting their story (see $E03563). Sophronius proceeds to refute this argument:

Εἰ γὰρ μόνους σχοίημεν μάρτυρας οὓς ἐν ὑπομνήμασιν ἔχομεν, ἄρα Χριστὸς δωρεὰν ἀπέθανεν, ὀλίγους αὐτοῦ τῶν παθῶν κοινωνοὺς ποιησάμενος· ὀλίγοι γὰρ οὗτοι πάνυ τυγχάνουσιν· ἐν κινδύνοις δὲ καὶ ἡμεῖς γενησόμεθα, μὴ μυριάσι μαρτύρων φρουρούμενοι, καὶ ταῖς οἰκείων ἱμάτων προσχύσεσι, ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν τὸν Χριστὸν πρεσβεύοντας ἔχοντες. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ μηδόλως εἰσὶν ὑπομνήματα, ἵνα καὶ τὴν Κυρίλλου παρήσω διάλεξιν τὸ πᾶν ἀρκοῦσαν πιστώσασθαι, τὰ τοὺς ἀγῶνας τῶν ἁγίων κηρύττοντα, καὶ τὴν κλῆσιν αὐτῶν ὑποφαίνοντα, τὸ πλῆθος ἐχρῆν τῶν δυνάμεων τῶν δι’ αὐτῶν ἀδιαλείπτως γινόμενον, παρασχεῖν αὐτοῖς μαρτύρων ὑπόληψιν.

Εἰ γὰρ ἔργα μαρτύρων οὐ πράττουσιν, καὶ χαρίσματα δυνάμεων οὐκ εἰλήφασιν, δι’ ὧν τοὺς ἀσθενοῦντας ῥωννύουσιν, εἰ καὶ ἡμῖν οὐ δοκεῖ (οὔτε γὰρ ταύτης τῆς δόξης ὑπάρχομεν), πλὴν παρ’ αὐτοὺς μὴ λεγέσθωσαν μάρτυρες· εἰ δὲ καὶ μαρτύρων πλεῖον ἐνεργοῦσι τεράστια, τίνι λόγῳ μὴ λέγονται μάρτυρες; [...]

Ὁμοίως γὰρ ἅπαντας τοὺς μάρτυρας σέβομεν, καὶ τοὺς θαύματα πράττοντας, καὶ τοὺς οὐ πράττοντας θαύματα· καὶ λέγειν ὑπὲρ ἁγίων οὐ καταλέγειν ἁγίων σπουδάζομεν. Ἡμεῖς μὲν οὖν οὕτω περὶ Κύρου καὶ Ἰωάννου τῶν ἁγίων μαρτύρων καὶ τοῦ λοιποῦ τῶν ἁγίων μαρτύρων στρατεύματος ἔχοιμέν τε καὶ ἕξομεν.

'If we had had only those martyrs whom we find documented in trial records, then Christ would have died in vain, for he would have caused only few people to share in his suffering. Such martyrs are indeed very few. And we would ourselves have been in danger, since we would not have been protected by myriads of martyrs interceding with Christ on our behalf by the shedding of their blood. Yet even if there had been no trial records at all (to put aside Cyril’s account, even though it is entirely sufficient to confirm the reliability of the whole story) proclaiming the contests of the saints, and demonstrating their [heavenly] calling, the multitude of the miracles which are incessantly performed by them should have granted them their fame as martyrs.

For, if they perform no workings of martyrs and have received no grace of miracles whereby to heal the sick, let them indeed not be called martyrs in violation of the martyrs’ title – even if we do not like this, for this is indeed not our opinion. However, if they perform even more prodigies than martyrs do, for what reason should they not be called martyrs? […]

For we indeed revere all the martyrs equally, both those who perform miracles and those who do not perform miracles. And we seek to talk about the saints and not to speak against them. This is and will be our attitude towards the holy martyrs Cyrus and John and towards the rest of the army of holy martyrs.'


Athanasia did not revere the martyrs. They had thus to correct her attitude, lest she remained in sin. One day, when she was discussing religious matters with various people at her home and mocking the saints, an insect severely bit her ankle, as if defending the saints. The woman bent down to catch the insect, but was unable to stand up in a normal upright position. The saints thus inflicted on her an inclined position proper for animals that lack reason. This punishment was accompanied by great pain, and Athanasia summoned physicians, but they were unable to help her.

The martyrs appeared to her in a dream and said that they came to heal her. She asked them who they were. They responded that they were the martyrs Cyrus and John whom she incessantly mocked, but nevertheless they wanted to give her their grace.

When Athanasia woke up, she began invoking Cyrus and John and went to their sanctuary where she was healed at once. As soon as she reached its threshold, she was restored to the upright position and thanked the martyrs for both healing her body and correcting her views. Not only did she acknowledge them as martyrs, but said that they occupied the first rank among the martyrs. She made numerous rich offerings, both on account of earlier sins and of her recent love for Cyrus and John.

Text: Fernández Marcos 1976, lightly modified in the light of Gascou 2007. Summary: J. Doroszewska, E. Rizos.