{"slug":"40ma","id":"georgian:titus:40ma","title":"Martyrium 40 martyrum Sebastae","author":"Anonymous","genre":"hagiography","date":"","tradition":"georgian","coverage":"not-located","coverage_claim":{"status":"not-located","text":"No English translation was located by an automated check of the source corpus and one library catalogue. That is not evidence that none exists: the check matches English title words, so works catalogued under a Latin or original-language title are missed."},"publication":{"status":"machine-draft","reviewed_by":null,"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor","provider":"Relace","generated":"2026-11-15T00:59:00Z","cost_usd":0.001127},"source":{"registry_id":"georgian:titus:40ma","work_id":"40ma","edition":"titus","language":"","license":"This text is part of the TITUS edition of Martyrium 40 martyrum Sebastae (vs. A). Copyright TITUS Project, Frankfurt a/M, 26.9.2017. No parts of this document may be republished in any form without prior permission by the copyright holder.","url":"https://titus.uni-frankfurt.de/texte/etcg/cauc/ageo/gh/40ma/40ma.htm"},"stats":{"passages":1,"english_words":131,"coptic_letters":0,"commentary_units":5,"commentary_kinds":5,"derived_notes":1,"ambiguities":2,"work_notes":4,"external_links":1,"timeline":5},"summary":{"work":"40ma","abstract":"The Martyrium of the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste is an Old Georgian hagiographic text recounting the execution of forty Christian soldiers in Sebaste (modern Sivas, Turkey) under the Roman emperor Licinius around 320 CE. The Georgian version, preserved in a single manuscript (Titus ed. 40ma), likely dates to the 9th–10th century and was translated from a Greek Vorlage. It follows the standard synaxarion format, marking March 9 as the liturgical commemoration. The text includes variant name forms and a closing liturgical blessing, indicating its use in Georgian church services. The work reflects the widespread veneration of the Forty Martyrs in Eastern Christianity and the adaptation of Byzantine hagiography into the Georgian tradition.","historical_context":"The original martyrdom occurred in 320 CE in Sebaste, Armenia Minor, during the persecution of Licinius (r. 308–324), who targeted Christians in the eastern Roman Empire. The forty soldiers, members of the Legio XII Fulminata, were forced to stand naked on a frozen lake until they died. Their cult spread rapidly across the Christian East, with homilies by Basil of Caesarea and Gregory of Nyssa. The Georgian translation emerged in the 9th–10th centuries, a period when the Georgian church was consolidating its liturgical and literary traditions, often translating from Greek and Syriac. The single manuscript (Titus ed. 40ma) shows linguistic features of Old Georgian, and the text's liturgical framing suggests it was used for commemorative readings on March 9. The transmission likely passed through a Greek intermediary, but the exact path remains uncertain.","significance":"This text is a key witness to the reception of the Forty Martyrs cult in the Georgian church and the adaptation of Byzantine hagiography into Georgian. It preserves variant name forms and liturgical elements that illuminate local scribal practices and the fluidity of hagiographic transmission. The work also provides evidence for the broader network of Christian literary exchange in the Caucasus.","timeline":[{"date":"320 CE","event":"Martyrdom of the Forty Martyrs in Sebaste under Licinius."},{"date":"4th–5th c.","event":"Early Greek homilies and accounts of the Forty Martyrs circulate (e.g., by Basil of Caesarea)."},{"date":"9th–10th c.","event":"Old Georgian translation of the martyrdom likely produced, based on paleographic and linguistic evidence."},{"date":"Medieval period","event":"The text is copied and used in Georgian liturgical contexts, as indicated by the closing blessing."},{"date":"Modern era","event":"The single surviving manuscript is edited in the Titus series (ed. 40ma)."}],"relations":[{"work":"Greek Vorlage of the Forty Martyrs","relation":"source","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Homily on the Forty Martyrs by Basil of Caesarea","relation":"related hagiographic tradition","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Homily on the Forty Martyrs by Gregory of Nyssa","relation":"related hagiographic tradition","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Georgian Synaxarion (March 9 entry)","relation":"liturgical context","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Armenian version of the Forty Martyrs","relation":"parallel tradition","key":"","label":null,"url":null}],"external_links":[{"key":"ed:40ma","label":"Titus edition of the Old Georgian text","url":"https://titus.uni-frankfurt.de/texte/etcg/cauc/ageo/gh/40ma/40ma.htm","reason":"Primary source for the text discussed."}],"cautions":["The precise date of the Georgian translation is uncertain; it is estimated to the 9th–10th century based on paleographic and linguistic features.","The Greek Vorlage is not extant, and the intermediary between Greek and Georgian is unknown.","The single manuscript (Titus ed. 40ma) has not been collated with other witnesses, so variant readings are not systematically documented.","The identification of 'Nekios' with Licinius and 'Agrippalaoz' with Agricola is plausible but based on phonetic similarity and historical context."],"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor","provider":"Relace","cost_usd":0.000487,"generated":"2026-11-15T00:20:23Z"},"checks":{"work":"40ma","status":"pass","blocking":[],"warnings":[],"stats":{"passages":1,"translated":1,"commentary_passages":1,"commentary_units":5,"english_words":131,"source_letters":753,"commentary_kinds":5},"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor"},"work_notes":[{"unit":"transmission","kind":"transmission","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The Old Georgian text survives in a single manuscript (Titus ed. 40ma). Its transmission likely passed through a Greek Vorlage, but the precise intermediary remains uncertain.","cites":[{"key":"ed:40ma","label":"source edition: Martyrium 40 martyrum Sebastae","url":"https://titus.uni-frankfurt.de/texte/etcg/cauc/ageo/gh/40ma/40ma.htm"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"dating","kind":"chronology","basis":"background","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The martyrdom of the Forty of Sebaste is traditionally dated to 320 CE under Licinius. The Georgian version is later, probably 9th–10th century, based on paleographic and linguistic features.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"background","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The Forty Martyrs were venerated widely in Eastern Christianity. The Georgian translation reflects their liturgical importance in the Georgian church, likely used for commemorative readings on March 9.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"caution","text":"This edition does not provide a critical apparatus or collation with other manuscripts. Variants from Greek or Armenian traditions are not systematically noted.","cites":[{"key":"ed:40ma","label":"source edition: Martyrium 40 martyrum Sebastae","url":"https://titus.uni-frankfurt.de/texte/etcg/cauc/ageo/gh/40ma/40ma.htm"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"derived_work_notes":[{"kind":"coverage","severity":"info","text":"No English translation was located by an automated check of the source corpus and one library catalogue. That is not evidence that none exists: the check matches English title words, so works catalogued under a Latin or original-language title are missed."},{"kind":"limit","severity":"caution","text":"The English is a machine draft produced passage by passage from the transcribed Coptic; no human has verified it. The commentary is model-written and cites only keys the pipeline could resolve."},{"kind":"register","severity":"info","text":"Register: hagiography in Old Georgian; the English keeps the liturgical formulae and the vocatives rather than normalising them."},{"kind":"structure","severity":"info","text":"Passages: 1 narrative."},{"kind":"caution","severity":"caution","text":"1 passage(s) are fragmentary in the source; the English bridges each break and says so in the note."},{"kind":"source","severity":"info","text":"Source edition: titus — This text is part of the TITUS edition of Martyrium 40 martyrum Sebastae (vs. A). Copyright TITUS Project, Frankfurt a/M, 26.9.2017. No parts of this document may be republished in any form without prior permission by the copyright holder."}],"derived_structure":{"narrative":1},"term_index":[],"citations":{"ed:40ma":{"label":"source edition: Martyrium 40 martyrum Sebastae","url":"https://titus.uni-frankfurt.de/texte/etcg/cauc/ageo/gh/40ma/40ma.htm"}},"segments":[{"i":1,"ref":"p1","source":"თთუესა მარტსა : თ : წამებაჲ წმიდათა ორმეოცთაჲ, რომელნი იწამნეს სებასტია ქალაქსა, რომელთაჲ სახელები ესე არს: დომენტიანესი, ვალენტისი, ევსუქისი, ივლიანეჲსი, სმარაგდეჲსი, სისინისი, მელიტონისი, ფილეკტიმონისი, ჰელაკრეჲსი, კუირიონისი, ალექსანდრეჲსი, ბებიანეჲსი, ლისიმაქეჲსი, კლავდესი, ილისი, დომენტიანეჲსი, ათანასისი, პრისკჱსი, ლუირილეჲსი, ევსტოქისი, ემკეჲსი, ფლავისი, ქსანთისი, ლეონტისი, სევერიანეჲსი, აგგიაჲსი, ეკდიკისი, აენტისი, აკაკისი, ნიკოლაოზისი, იოვანეჲსი, ქოდიოისი, გაესისი, კანდიდეჲსი, საკერდონისი, გორგონოსი, თევდოლჱსი, თეოფილაეჲსი, მარკიანეჲსი, ვალერიანეჲსი. კ(ჳრიელეი)ს(ო)ნ.\n\nჟამთა მათ ნეკიის მეფისათა იყო დევნულებაჲ დიდი ქრისტეანეთა[ჲ]. ყოველნი, რომელნი ღმრთის მსახურებით ცხოვ[ნ]დებოდეს, აჲძულებდეს მსახურებად კერპთა აგრიპოლაოზის მთავრობისასა, მომსვრელისა და უშჯულოჲსა და მოსწრაფისა აღსრულებად საქმისა ეშმაკისასა. მას ჟამსა რომელნი ქრისტეანე იყვნეს ერსა მას შინა, ყოველნი აჲძულებდეს მსახურებად კერპთა.","english":"In the month of March, on the ninth day: the martyrdom of the holy Forty, who were martyred in the city of Sebasteia, whose names are these: Domentianes, Valentis, Eusuchis, Ivlianes, Smaragdes, Sisinios, Melitonis, Philectimonis, Helacres, Kuirionis, Alexandres, Bebianes, Lysimaches, Klavdes, Ilis, Domentianes, Athanasios, Priskes, Luiriles, Eustochis, Emkes, Flavis, Xanthis, Leontis, Severianes, Aggiais, Ekdikis, Aentis, Akakios, Nikolaozis, Iovanes, Kodiois, Gaesios, Kandidios, Sakerdonis, Gorgonos, Thevdoles, Theophilayes, Markianes, Valerianes. Lord, bless.\n\nIn those times of the king Nekios, there was a great persecution of Christians. All who lived in service to God were compelled to serve the idols under the governance of Agrippalaoz, the destroyer and lawless one, swift in the execution of the devil’s work. At that time, those who were Christians among that people were all compelled to serve the idols.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"თთუესა მარტსა : თ : წამებაჲ წმიდათა ორმეოცთაჲ","severity":"info","text":"The opening formula 'In the month of March, on the ninth day: the martyrdom of the holy Forty' follows the standard Georgian synaxarion pattern, marking the liturgical date (March 9) and the genre as a martyrdom account.","cites":[{"key":"ed:40ma","label":"source edition: Martyrium 40 martyrum Sebastae","url":"https://titus.uni-frankfurt.de/texte/etcg/cauc/ageo/gh/40ma/40ma.htm"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"ნეკიის","severity":"info","text":"The name 'Nekios' (ნეკიის) likely refers to the Roman emperor Licinius (r. 308–324), who persecuted Christians in the East; the Georgian form is a corruption or adaptation of the Greek name.","cites":[{"key":"ed:40ma","label":"source edition: Martyrium 40 martyrum Sebastae","url":"https://titus.uni-frankfurt.de/texte/etcg/cauc/ageo/gh/40ma/40ma.htm"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"აგრიპოლაოზის","severity":"info","text":"The governor 'Agrippalaoz' (აგრიპოლაოზის) corresponds to the historical figure Agricola, the Roman governor of Cappadocia and Lesser Armenia under Licinius, who presided over the trial of the Forty Martyrs of Sebasteia.","cites":[{"key":"ed:40ma","label":"source edition: Martyrium 40 martyrum Sebastae","url":"https://titus.uni-frankfurt.de/texte/etcg/cauc/ageo/gh/40ma/40ma.htm"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"transmission","kind":"transmission","basis":"text","lemma":"სახელები ესე არს: ...","severity":"info","text":"The list of 40 names includes several variant forms (e.g., 'Domentianes' appears twice, 'Ivlianes' for Julian, 'Smaragdes' for Smaragdus), reflecting the fluidity of name transmission in the Georgian manuscript tradition.","cites":[{"key":"ed:40ma","label":"source edition: Martyrium 40 martyrum Sebastae","url":"https://titus.uni-frankfurt.de/texte/etcg/cauc/ageo/gh/40ma/40ma.htm"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"კ(ჳრიელეი)ს(ო)ნ","severity":"caution","text":"The closing formula 'Lord, bless' (კ(ჳრიელეი)ს(ო)ნ) is a liturgical addition typical of Georgian manuscripts, but its presence here may indicate the text was used in a liturgical context rather than as a standalone narrative.","cites":[{"key":"ed:40ma","label":"source edition: Martyrium 40 martyrum Sebastae","url":"https://titus.uni-frankfurt.de/texte/etcg/cauc/ageo/gh/40ma/40ma.htm"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The identity of 'Nekios' is ambiguous: it could be a corruption of 'Licinius' or refer to a different persecutor; the reading as Licinius is adopted based on historical context.","The name 'Agrippalaoz' may conflate the governor Agricola with other figures; the text does not clarify his exact title or jurisdiction."],"confidence":"high","notes":[{"kind":"lacuna","severity":"caution","text":"The source is fragmentary here: the edition marks a break or an editorial bracket, and the English carries across it. Treat the bridge as supplied, not translated."}]}]}