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ministering to a need, and his name too was Dionysius, all of them, being eight in number, on one day were beheaded again in Caesarea itself, on the twenty-fourth day of the month Dystrus, which also happened to be the ninth day before the Kalends of April. 3.5 At this time a certain change of the rulers, namely of the one highest of all and of the second after him, to the station of a private citizen takes place, and the public affairs began to be in a sick state for them; 3.6 a little later, the Roman empire having been divided against itself, an implacable war was stirred up among them, and the dissension and the disturbances connected with it did not reach a settlement, until our peace was established over the whole inhabited world under Roman rule. 3.7 For as soon as this dawned for all like a light as if out of a gloomy and most dark night, the public affairs of the Roman government were again stable and friendly and peaceful, recovering the goodwill towards one another from their ancestors. But of these things we shall give a more complete account at the proper time, but now let us proceed to the sequence of what follows. 4.1 Maximinus Caesar, having at once come to power, as if showing to all the tokens of his inborn hatred of God and impiety, engaged in the persecution against us more vehemently than his predecessors. 4.2 Since, then, no small confusion hung over all, and some were scattered in different directions and made it their care to escape the danger, and a severe disturbance held everything, what account would suffice for us for a worthy narrative of the divine love and boldness of confession toward God of the blessed and truly guileless lamb-like martyr, I mean Apphianus, who was set forth before the gates for a spectacle to all in Caesarea as a wonderful example of piety towards the only God? 4.3 He was not yet twenty years of age. For first, for the sake of a Greek education—for he was of a worldly family and one of those who were exceedingly rich in worldly wealth—having spent the greater part of his time in Berytus, it is strange even to say how in such a city he rose above youthful desires and, being corrupted in his character neither by the vigor of his body nor by the companionship of youths, he embraced temperance, conducting and training his own life orderly and reverently and piously according to the reason that chooses Christianity. 4.4 And if it is right to make mention of his native country, and to adorn it also through the noble athlete of piety who came forth from it, we will indeed reasonably do this also. 4.5 If anyone knows Gagas, no insignificant city of Lycia, the young man came from there after his return from his education in Berytus, his father holding the chief offices of his country, not being able to bear the company of his father and his relatives by blood, because it did not seem to them that living was living according to the ordinances of piety, but as if possessed by a divine spirit and according to a certain natural, or rather inspired and true philosophy, thinking greater things than the customary glory of life and despising the pleasures of the body, he secretly ran away from his own people and paying no attention to daily expenses, by hope and faith in God he was led, guided by the hand of the divine Spirit, to the city of the Caesareans, where the crown of martyrdom for piety was prepared for him. 4.6 And being with us ourselves, and having gathered, as far as possible, a perfect familiarity with the divine words and having prepared himself most eagerly with fitting exercises, what an end he displayed, who on the other hand, seeing it, was not astounded, 4.7 and who again, having heard of it, would not justly marvel at his courage, his boldness, his steadfastness, and before these things his daring and the deed itself, affording proofs of a zeal for piety and a spirit truly beyond human?

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χρείας διακονουμένου, ὄνομα δὲ καὶ τούτῳ ∆ιονύσιος, οἱ πάντες, ὀκτὼ γενόμενοι τὸν ἀριθμόν, ἐν ἡμέρᾳ μιᾷ τὰς κεφαλὰς αὖθις ἐπ' αὐτῆς Καισαρείας ἀποτέμνονται, ∆ύστρου μηνὸς ἡμέρᾳ τετράδι καὶ εἰκάδι, ἣ πρὸ ἐννέα Καλανδῶν Ἀπριλλίων καὶ αὐτὴ οὖσα ἐτύγχανεν. 3.5 Ἐν τούτῳ μεταβολή τις τῶν κρατούντων, αὐτοῦ δὴ τοῦ πάντων ἀνωτάτω καὶ τοῦ μετ' αὐτὸν δευτέρου, ἐπὶ τὸ ἰδιωτικὸν σχῆμα γίνεται, νοσεῖν τε αὐτοῖς ἄρχεται τὰ κοινά· 3.6 μικρὸν δ' ὕστερον διαστάσης εἰς ἑαυτὴν τῆς Ῥωμαίων ἀρχῆς, πόλεμος ἄσπονδος εἰς αὑτοὺς ἐπεγείρεται, οὐ πρότερόν τε τὰ τῆς διαστάσεως καὶ τῶν ἐπὶ ταύτῃ θορύβων κατάστασιν εἴληφεν, ἢ τὴν καθ' ἡμᾶς εἰρήνην καθ' ὅλης πρυτανευθῆναι τῆς ὑπὸ τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἀρχὴν οἰκουμένης. 3.7 ἅμα τε γὰρ αὕτη τοῖς πᾶσιν δίκην φωτὸς ὡς ἂν ἐκ ζοφερᾶς καὶ σκοτεινοτάτης νυκτὸς ἀνατέταλκεν, καὶ αὖ πάλιν τὰ κοινὰ τῆς Ῥωμαίων ἡγεμονίας αὖθις εὐσταθῆ καὶ φίλια καὶ εἰρηναῖα ἦν, τὴν ἐκ προγόνων εἰς ἀλλήλους εὔνοιαν ἀπολαμβάνοντα. ἀλλὰ τούτων μὲν κατὰ τὸν προσήκοντα καιρὸν ἐντελέστερον ἀποδώσομεν τὸν λόγον, νυνὶ δὲ ἐπὶ τὴν τῶν ἑξῆς ἀπίωμεν ἀκολουθίαν. 4.1 Μαξιμῖνος Καῖσαρ αὐτόθεν ἐπὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν παρελθὼν ὥσπερ τῆς ἐμφύτου θεοεχθρίας αὐτοῦ καὶ δυσσεβείας τὰ σύμβολα τοῖς πᾶσιν ἐνδεικνύμενος, γεννικώτερον ἢ οἱ πρόσθεν τῷ καθ' ἡμῶν ἐπαπεδύετο διωγμῷ. 4.2 πᾶσι δῆτα συγχύσεως οὐ μικρᾶς ἐπῃωρημένης καὶ ἄλλων ἄλλοσε διασπειρομένων διαδρᾶναί τε τὸ δεινὸν ἐπιμελὲς ποιουμένων χαλεπῆς τε τὸ πᾶν ἐπεχούσης κινήσεως, τίς ἂν ἐξαρκέσειεν ἡμῖν λόγος εἰς τὴν ἐπαξίαν διήγησιν τοῦ θείου ἔρωτος καὶ παρρησίας τῆς εἰς θεὸν ὁμολογίας τοῦ μακαρίου καὶ ὡς ἀληθῶς ἀμνοῦ ἀκάκου μάρτυρος, Ἀπφιανόν φημι τὸν πρὸ πυλῶν ἐπὶ θεωρίαν ἅπασι τοῖς κατὰ Καισάρειαν θαυμαστὸν παράδειγμα τῆς εἰς τὸν μόνον θεὸν εὐσεβείας προβεβλημένον; 4.3 εἰκοστὸν ἔτος οὐδέπω τοῦτο τῆς τοῦ σώματος ἡλικίας ἦν αὐτῷ. πρῶτον μὲν οὖν τῆς Ἑλλήνων παιδείας ἕνεκα κοσμικῆς ἐτύγχανε γὰρ καὶ τῶν κατὰ κόσμον εὖ μάλα πλούτῳ περιρρεομένων τὸν πλείονα κατὰ τὴν Βηρυτὸν διατρίψας χρόνον, παράδοξον καὶ εἰπεῖν ὡς ἐν τοιαύτῃ πόλει τῶν νεωτερικῶν ἐπιθυμιῶν ὑπεράνω γενόμενος καὶ μήθ' ὑπὸ ἀκμῆς τοῦ σώματος μήθ' ὑπὸ τῆς τῶν νέων ἑταιρίας διαφθαρεὶς τὸν τρόπον, σωφροσύνην ἠσπάζετο, κοσμίως καὶ σεμνῶς καὶ εὐσεβῶς κατὰ τὸν αἱροῦντα Χριστιανισμῷ λόγον διεξάγων καὶ τὸν ἑαυτοῦ παιδαγωγῶν βίον· 4.4 εἰ δὲ χρὴ μνήμην ποιησαμένους καὶ τῆς πατρίδος αὐτοῦ, κοσμῆσαι καὶ ταύτην διὰ τοῦ προαχθέντος ἐξ αὐτῆς γενναίου τῆς θεοσεβείας ἀθλητοῦ, εὐλόγως δὴ καὶ τοῦτο ποιήσομεν. 4.5 εἴ τις ἄρα Γάγας ἐπίσταται, τῆς Λυκίας οὐκ ἄσημον πόλιν, ἐντεῦθεν ὁρμώμενος ὁ νεανίας μετὰ τὴν ἐπάνοδον τῆς κατὰ τὴν Βηρυτὸν παιδείας, τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτῷ τὰ πρωτεῖα τῆς πατρίδος ἀποφερομένου, μὴ οἷός τε φέρειν τὴν ἅμα τῷ πατρὶ καὶ τοῖς τῷ γένει προσήκουσιν συνουσίαν, ὅτι μηδὲ ζῆν τὸ ζῆν αὐτοῖς ἐδόκει κατὰ τοὺς τῆς θεοσεβείας θεσμούς, πνεύματι δ' ὥσπερ θείῳ κατεσχημένος καὶ κατά τινα φυσικήν, μᾶλλον δ' ἔνθεον καὶ ἀληθῆ φιλοσοφίαν, μεῖζον φρονήσας τῆς νενομισμένης τοῦ βίου δόξης τῆς τε τῶν σωμάτων καταπτύσας ἡδυπαθείας, κρύβδην τοὺς οἰκείους ἀποδρὰς καὶ μηδὲν τῶν ἐφημέρων δαπανῶν ἐπιστραφείς, ἐλπίδι καὶ πίστει τῇ εἰς θεὸν ἤγετο πρὸς τοῦ θείου πνεύματος χειραγωγούμενος ἐπὶ τὴν Καισαρέων πόλιν, ἔνθα ἡτοίμαστο αὐτῷ ὁ τοῦ μαρτυρίου τῆς θεοσεβείας στέφανος. 4.6 γενόμενος δὲ ἡμῖν αὐτοῖς ἅμα καὶ ὡς ἔνι μάλιστα τοῖς θείοις λόγοις ἕξιν τελείαν συλλεξάμενος ἀσκήσεσί τε προσηκούσαις ἐκθυμότατα παρασκευασάμενος, τέλος οἷον ἐπιδέδεικται, τίς μὲν πάλιν ἰδὼν οὐ κατεπλάγη, 4.7 τίς δ' αὖθις ἀκοῇ παραλαβὼν οὐκ ἂν ἐνδίκως θαυμάσειεν τὸ θάρσος, τὴν παρρησίαν, τὴν ἔνστασιν, καὶ πρό γε τούτων τὴν τόλμαν καὶ αὐτὸ τὸ ἐγχείρημα, ζήλου θεοσεβείας καὶ πνεύματος ὡς ἀληθῶς ὑπὲρ ἄνθρωπον παρέχον τὰ τεκμήρια;