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Georgian · Hagiography ·

Martyrium 40 martyrum Sebastae

Anonymous · titus

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machine-draft · no human review 1 passages · 131 words

Work dossier · summary and historical context

Summary

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.

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.

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.

Apparatus · what the pipeline recorded

Annotation and terms

5 commentary units 1 structure1 term1 background1 transmission1 caution 1 derived notes 2 open questions 1 narrative
What the kinds mean

Pipeline notes

  • limitThe 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.
  • registerRegister: hagiography in Old Georgian; the English keeps the liturgical formulae and the vocatives rather than normalising them.
  • structurePassages: 1 narrative.
  • caution1 passage(s) are fragmentary in the source; the English bridges each break and says so in the note.
  • sourceSource 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.

Term index

CopticRenderingCountFirst
no glossary terms recorded
40ma:1 · narrativehigh
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. ჟამთა 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. In 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.
Citation. Tergwame, “Martyrium 40 martyrum Sebastae”, 40ma:1, machine-draft, 2026. https://naxiai.com/christian/works/40ma#s1
Colophon. Source: titus · licence: 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. · model: deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor · provider: Relace · cost: $0.0011 · generated 2026-11-15.