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the sea casts out the dead body before the gates of the city, as if unable to bear him. Such then were the things concerning the divine Apphianus, consummated on the second of the month Xanthicus, which would be the fourth day before the Nones of April, on the day of Preparation; 5.1 And about the same time, on the very same days, in the city of Tyre, a young man, Ulpianus by name, after he himself had endured terrible tortures and most grievous scourgings, was sewn up in a raw ox-hide together with a dog and an asp, the venomous reptile, and delivered to the sea; for which reason it seems to me that he also should reasonably be remembered by us in the martyrdoms of Apphianus. 5.2 And Aedesius, his brother not only in God but also in the flesh from the same father, having endured things similar to Apphianus a short time later, after countless confessions and long-lasting hardships in bonds and gubernatorial sentences, by which he was given to the mines in Palestine, and after his philosophical conduct in all these things in the garb of a philosopher (for indeed he himself possessed more education than his brother, and came from philosophical studies), at last in the city of Alexandria, 5.3 when he saw the judge there trying Christians and behaving insolently beyond what was proper, at one time variously insulting venerable men, and at another time delivering over women of the highest chastity and even ascetic virgins to procurers for shameful outrages, undertaking the same thing as his brother, because indeed what was happening seemed unbearable to him, he approached with a bold demeanor, and with words and deeds covered the judge with shame and dishonor, and for this, after very bravely enduring manifold tortures of punishments, he bore a death like his brother's, being delivered to the sea. But the things concerning him, as I have said, happened in this way a short time later; 6.1 In the fourth year, moreover, of the persecution against us, on the twelfth day before the Calends of December, which would be the twentieth of the month Dius, on the day before the Sabbath, in the same Caesarea, a thing truly worthy of record was accomplished, when the tyrant Maximinus himself was present and generously providing spectacles for the crowds on his so-called birthday. 6.2 It having been the custom before for emperors, if at other times, for their munificent spectacles to provide more pleasures for the spectators by varying the usual sights with new and strange ones, sometimes with animals brought in from India or Ethiopia or elsewhere, or with men displaying extraordinary diversions for the viewers with certain skillful physical exercises, so then certainly, as the emperor was providing the spectacles, there had to be something greater and more extraordinary in his munificence. 6.3 What then was this? A martyr of our doctrine was brought into the midst, contending for the only true piety; this was Agapius, who had been mentioned a little before as being the second one, along with Thecla, to be given to the beasts for food; who indeed at other times had been paraded in the stadium from the prison a third and many times along with criminals, but always from time to time the judge, after the threats, either out of pity or in hope that he would change his purpose, postponed him for other contests, then indeed, when the emperor was present, he was led forth, as if kept on purpose for that occasion, so that that saving saying, which he foretold to his disciples with divine knowledge, that they would be brought even before kings for the sake of their testimony to him, might also be fulfilled in him. 6.4 So he is brought into the middle of the stadium with a certain criminal, and they said this one was being held for the murder of his master. 6.5 Then the murderer of his master, having been cast to the beasts, was deemed worthy of pity and clemency, almost like that very Barabbas in the time of the Savior, and at this the whole theater resounded with shouts and applause, as if the murderer had been humanely saved by the emperor and deemed worthy of honor and freedom; 6.6 But the one of the
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νεκρὸν ἡ θάλαττα, ὥσπερ μὴ οἵα τε οὖσα φέρειν αὐτόν, πρὸ τῶν τῆς πόλεως ἐκβράσσει πυλῶν. καὶ τοιαῦτα μὲν ἦν τὰ κατὰ τὸν θεσπέσιον Ἀπφιανόν, Ξανθικοῦ μηνὸς δευτέρᾳ, ἥτις ἂν εἴη πρὸ τεσσάρων Νωνῶν Ἀπριλλίων, ἡμέρᾳ παρασκευῆς τελειωθέντα· 5.1 ὑπὸ δὲ τὸν αὐτὸν καιρὸν αὐταῖς τε ἡμέραις ἐπὶ τῆς Τυρίων πόλεως νεανίας, Οὐλπιανὸς ὄνομα, μετὰ δεινὰς καὶ αὐτὸς αἰκίας μάστιγάς τε χαλεπωτάτας ἅμα κυνὶ καὶ ἀσπίδι, τῷ ἰοβόλῳ ἑρπετῷ, ὠμοβοΐνῃ περιβληθεὶς δορᾷ, θαλάττῃ παραδίδοται· δι' ὅ μοι δοκεῖ ἐν τοῖς Ἀπφιανοῦ μαρτυρίοις εὐλόγως ἂν ἡμῖν μνημονεύεσθαι καὶ οὗτος. 5.2 ἀδελφὰ δὲ τῷ Ἀπφιανῷ σμικρὸν τῷ χρόνῳ ὕστερον ὑπομείνας ὁ μὴ μόνον αὐτοῦ κατὰ θεόν, καὶ σώματι δὲ ὁμοπάτριος ἀδελφὸς Αἰδέσιος, μετὰ μυρίας ὅσας ὁμολογίας καὶ πολυχρονίους δεσμῶν κακώσεις ἡγεμονικάς τε ἀποφάσεις, ἐν αἷς τοῖς κατὰ Παλαιστίνην δέδοται μετάλλοις, καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἐν πᾶσι τούτοις φιλόσοφον ἐν τρίβωνος σχήματι ἀγωγήν καὶ γὰρ οὖν αὐτὸς πλέον τῆς τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ παιδείας κεκτημένος, καὶ ἀπὸ μαθημάτων φιλοσόφων ὡρμᾶτο, τελευτῶν δῆτα ἐπὶ τῆς Ἀλεξανδρέων πόλεως, 5.3 τὸν αὐτόθι συνιδὼν δικαστὴν Χριστιανοῖς δικάζοντα πέρα τε τῶν προσηκόντων ἐμπαροινοῦντα καὶ τοτὲ μὲν σεμνοῖς ἀνδράσι ποικίλως ἐνυβρίζοντα, τοτὲ δὲ γυναῖκας σωφροσύνης τῆς ἀνωτάτω καὶ αὐτοπαρθένους ἀσκητρίας εἰς αἰσχρὰς ὕβρεις πορνοτρόφοις παραδόντα, ταὐτὸν ἐγχειρήσας τῷ ἀδελφῷ, ὅτι δὴ ἀφόρητα εἶναι αὐτῷ τὰ γινόμενα ἐδόκει, παραστήματι θαρσαλέῳ πρόσεισιν, λόγοις τε καὶ ἔργοις τὸν δικαστὴν αἰσχύνῃ καὶ ἀτιμίᾳ περιβαλὼν κἀπὶ τούτοις καρτερῶς εὖ μάλα βασάνων πολυτρόπους ὑπομείνας αἰκίας, τὴν ἀδελφικὴν ἀπηνέγκατο θαλάττῃ παραδοθεὶς τελευτήν. ἀλλὰ τὰ μὲν κατὰ τοῦτον, ὡς δ' οὖν ἔφην, σμικρὸν τοῦ χρόνου ὕστερον τοῦτον ἐγενήθη τὸν τρόπον· 6.1 Τετάρτῳ γε μὴν τοῦ καθ' ἡμῶν ἔτει διωγμοῦ, πρὸ δώδεκα Καλανδῶν ∆εκεμβρίων, ἣ γένοιτ' ἂν μηνὸς ∆ίου εἰκάδι, προσαββάτου ἡμέρᾳ, κατὰ τὴν αὐτὴν Καισάρειαν, γραφῆς ὡς ἀληθῶς ἄξιον, αὐτοῦ δὴ τοῦ τυράννου Μαξιμίνου παρόντος καὶ θέας τοῖς πλήθεσι φιλοτιμουμένου κατὰ τὴν λεγομένην αὐτοῦ γενέθλιον ἡμέραν, ἀπετελέσθη τοιοῦτον. 6.2 ἔθους τὸ πρὶν ὄντος ἐπὶ βασιλέων, εἰ καὶ ἄλλοτε, τὰς φιλοτίμους θέας πλείους τοῖς θεαταῖς ἐμπαρέχειν θυμηδίας καινῶν καὶ ξένων τά τε συνήθη παραλλαττόντων θεαμάτων, ζῴων ἔσθ' ὅπῃ τῶν ἐξ Ἰνδίας ἢ Αἰθιοπίας ἢ καὶ ἄλλοθεν εἰσκομιζομένων ἢ καὶ ἀνδρῶν ἐντέχνοις τισὶ σωμασκίαις παραδόξους ψυχαγωγίας τοῖς ὁρῶσιν ἐνδεικνυμένων, πάντως που καὶ τότε, οἷα βασιλέως τὰς θέας παρέχοντος, πλεῖόν τι καὶ παράδοξον χρῆν ὑπάρξαι ταῖς φιλοτιμίαις. 6.3 τί τοίνυν τοῦτο ἦν; μάρτυς τοῦ καθ' ἡμᾶς δόγματος παρήγετο εἰς μέσον, τῆς μόνης καὶ ἀληθοῦς εὐσεβείας ὑπεραγωνιζόμενος· Ἀγάπιος οὗτος ἦν, ὁ δεύτερος ἅμα τῇ Θέκλᾳ θηρσὶν ἐπὶ βορᾷ δίδοσθαι μικρῷ πρότερον δεδηλωμένος· ὃς δὴ καὶ ἄλλοτε τοῦ δεσμωτηρίου τρίτον καὶ πολλάκις ἅμα κακούργοις ἐμπομπεύσας τῷ σταδίῳ, ἀεί γε μὴν κατὰ χρόνους τοῦ δικαστοῦ μετὰ τὰς ἀπειλὰς ἤτοι κατ' οἶκτον ἢ κατ' ἐλπίδα τοῦ μεταθήσεσθαι τῆς προθέσεως εἰς ἑτέρους αὐτὸν ἀγῶνας ὑπερτιθεμένου, τότε δὴ βασιλέως ἐπιπαρόντος ἤγετο, ὥσπερ ἐπίτηδες εἰς ἐκεῖνο τοῦ καιροῦ πεφυλαγμένος, ὡς ἂν κἀκεῖνο τὸ σωτήριον ῥῆμα, ὃ τοῖς μαθηταῖς θείᾳ γνώσει προηγόρευεν, ὡς ἄρα καὶ ἐπὶ βασιλέων ἀχθήσονται ἕνεκεν τῆς εἰς αὐτὸν μαρτυρίας, καὶ ἐπ' αὐτοῦ πληρωθείη. 6.4 φέρεται δὴ εἰς μέσον τὸ στάδιον σὺν καί τινι κακούργῳ, φόνῳ δὲ τοῦ δεσπότου τοῦτον ἐνέχεσθαι ἔλεγον. 6.5 εἶθ' ὁ μὲν τοῦ δεσπότου φονεὺς τοῖς θηρσὶν παραβληθείς, ἐλέου καὶ φιλανθρωπίας ἠξίωτο μόνον οὐχὶ κατ' αὐτὸν ἐκεῖνον τὸν ἐπὶ τοῦ σωτῆρος Βαραββᾶν, βοαῖς δ' ἐπὶ τούτῳ καὶ εὐφημίαις τὸ πᾶν ἐξηχεῖτο θέατρον, ὡς ἂν τοῦ μιαιφόνου φιλανθρώπως πρὸς τοῦ βασιλέως σεσωσμένου τιμῆς τε καὶ ἐλευθερίας ἠξιωμένου· 6.6 ὁ δὲ τῆς