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De martyribus Palaestinae recensio brevior Pref.1 This was the nineteenth year of the reign of Diocletian, in the month of Xanthicus, which would be called April according to the Romans, in which, while the festival of the Savior's passion was approaching, Flavianus was governor of the nation of the Palestinians, and letters were suddenly spread everywhere, commanding that the churches be razed to the ground, and that the scriptures be destroyed by fire, and proclaiming that those who had obtained honor be dishonored, and that those in households, if they persisted in the profession of Christianity, be deprived of their liberty. Pref.2 And such was the force of the first decree against us; but not long after, when other letters arrived, it was ordered that all the presidents of the churches everywhere first be delivered to bonds, and then afterwards be compelled by every device to sacrifice. 1.1 Therefore, the first of the martyrs in Palestine was Procopius, who, before he had experience of imprisonment, immediately upon his first appearance, when he stood before the governor's tribunals and was commanded to sacrifice to the so-called gods, said that he knew only one, to whom it was fitting to sacrifice as He himself wills; but when he was also ordered to offer libations to the four emperors, uttering a certain word which was not pleasing to them, he was immediately beheaded, having spoken that poetic verse: "The rule of many is not good; let there be one ruler, one king." 1.2 On the seventh of the month of Dasius, which would be called among the Romans the seventh day before the Ides of June, on the fourth day of the week, this first sign was accomplished in Caesarea of Palestine. 1.3 And after him in the same city, a great many rulers of the local churches, having zealously contended with terrible tortures, showed a record of great contests to those who looked on, while others, their souls benumbed beforehand by cowardice, thus readily grew weak at the first assault, but of the rest, each one underwent different kinds of torments, at one time with countless scourgings, at another with rackings and tearings of the sides and with unbearable bonds, by which it happened that the hands of some were even dislocated, 1.4 nevertheless, they bore the end which resulted in accordance with the secret judgments of God. For one, while others held both his hands and led him to the altar, and threw the foul and accursed sacrifice upon his right hand, was released as though he had sacrificed, while another, who had not touched it at all, when others said that he had sacrificed, went away in silence, another, being taken up half-dead, was thrown down as if he were already a corpse and was released from his bonds, being counted among those who had sacrificed, while another, crying out and testifying that he did not yield, was struck on the mouth and silenced by the many hands of those appointed for this purpose, and was thrust out with force, even if he had not sacrificed. 1.5 Thus, it was of great importance to them by every means to seem to have succeeded. From so many, therefore, only Alphaeus and Zacchaeus were deemed worthy of the crown of the holy martyrs; who, after scourgings and scrapings and harsh bonds and the pains upon these, and other various examinations, having had their feet stretched for a day and a night in the stocks in the fourth hole, on the seventeenth of the month of Dius, this is among the Romans the fifteenth day before the Kalends of December, having confessed only one God and only Christ Jesus as king, as if having uttered something blasphemous, were beheaded in the same manner as the first martyr. 2.1 Worthy of memory also are the things concerning Romanus, which were accomplished in Antioch on the same day. For he, being a Palestinian, both a deacon and an exorcist of the community in Caesarea, being there at the same time as the destruction of the churches, seeing many men, together with women and children, approaching the idols in crowds and sacrificing

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De martyribus Palaestinae recensio brevior Pref.1 Ἔτος τοῦτο ἦν ἐννεακαιδέκατον τῆς ∆ιοκλητιανοῦ βασιλείας, Ξανθικὸς μήν, ὃς λέγοιτ' ἂν Ἀπρίλλιος κατὰ Ῥωμαίους, ἐν ᾧ, τῆς τοῦ σωτηρίου πάθους ἑορτῆς ἐπιλαμβανούσης, ἡγεῖτο μὲν Φλαυιανὸς τοῦ τῶν Παλαιστίνων ἔθνους, ἥπλωτο δ' ἀθρόως πανταχοῦ γράμματα, τὰς μὲν ἐκκλησίας εἰς ἔδαφος φέρειν, τὰς δὲ γραφὰς ἀφανεῖς πυρὶ γενέσθαι προστάττοντα καὶ τοὺς μὲν τιμῆς ἐπειλημμένους ἀτίμους, τοὺς δὲ ἐν οἰκετίαις, εἰ ἐπιμένοιεν τῇ τοῦ Χριστιανισμοῦ προθέσει, ἐλευθερίας στερίσκεσθαι προαγορεύοντα. Pref.2 καὶ ἡ μὲν τῆς πρώτης καθ' ἡμῶν γραφῆς τοιαύτη τις ἦν δύναμις· μετ' οὐ πολὺ δὲ ἑτέρων ἐπιφοιτησάντων γραμμάτων, προσετάττετο τοὺς τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν προέδρους πάντας πανταχῇ πρῶτον μὲν δεσμοῖς παραδίδοσθαι, εἶθ' ὕστερον πάσῃ μηχανῇ θύειν ἐξαναγκάζεσθαι. 1.1 Πρῶτος τοιγαροῦν τῶν ἐπὶ Παλαιστίνης μαρτύρων Προκόπιος, πρὶν ἢ φυλακῆς πεῖραν λαβεῖν, εὐθὺς ἀπὸ πρώτης εἰσόδου, τοῖς ἡγεμονικοῖς παραστὰς δικαστηρίοις θύειν τε τοῖς λεγομένοις προσταχθεὶς θεοῖς, ἕνα μόνον ἔφησεν εἰδέναι, ᾧ καθῆκεν ὡς αὐτὸς βούλεται θύειν· ὡς δὲ κἂν τοῖς βασιλεῦσι τέσσαρσιν σπένδειν ἐκελεύετο, ῥῆμά τι φθεγξάμενος τῶν οὐ προσηνῶν αὐτοῖς, αὐτίκα τὴν κεφαλὴν ἀποτέμνεται, τὸ ποιητικὸν εἰπὼν ἐκεῖνο «οὐκ ἀγαθὸν πολυκοιρανίη, εἷς κοίρανος ἔστω, εἷς βασιλεύς». 1.2 ∆αισίου μηνὸς ἑβδόμῃ πρὸ ἑπτὰ εἰδῶν Ἰουνίων λέγοιτ' ἂν παρὰ Ῥωμαίοις, ἡμέρᾳ τετράδι σαββάτου τοῦτο πρῶτον ἐπὶ Καισαρείας τῆς Παλαιστίνης ἀπετελέσθη σημεῖον. 1.3 μετὰ δὲ τοῦτον ἐπὶ τῆς αὐτῆς πόλεως πλεῖστοι ὅσοι τῶν ἐπιχωρίων ἐκκλησιῶν ἄρχοντες δειναῖς αἰκίαις προθύμως διαθλήσαντες, μεγάλων ἀγώνων ἱστορίαν τοῖς ἐνορῶσιν ἐνεδείξαντο, ἄλλοι δὲ ὑπὸ δειλίας τὴν ψυχὴν προναρκήσαντες προχείρως οὕτως ἀπὸ πρώτης ἐξησθένησαν προσβολῆς, τῶν δὲ λοιπῶν ἕκαστος εἴδη διάφορα βασάνων διήλλαττον, τοτὲ μὲν μάστιξιν ἀνηρίθμοις, τοτὲ δὲ στρεβλώσεσιν καὶ καταξάνσεσιν τῶν πλευρῶν δεσμοῖς τε ἀνυπομονήτοις, ὑφ' ὧν τισὶ καὶ παρεθῆναι συνέβη τὰς χεῖρας, 1.4 ὅμως δ' οὖν ἔφερον τὸ ἀποβὰν ἀκολούθως ταῖς ἀπορρήτοις κρίσεσιν τοῦ θεοῦ τέλος. ὃ μὲν γὰρ ἑτέρων κατεχόντων αὐτὸν τὼ χεῖρε καὶ τῷ βωμῷ προσαγόντων τήν τε μιαρὰν καὶ ἐναγῆ θυσίαν κατὰ τῆς δεξιᾶς ἐπιρριπτούντων, ὡς ἂν τεθυκὼς ἀπηλλάττετο, ὃ δὲ μηδ' ὅλως ἐφαψάμενος, εἰρηκότων δ' ἑτέρων ὅτι τεθύκοι, σιωπήσας ἀπῄει, ἄλλος ἡμιθνὴς αἰρόμενος ὡς ἂν ἤδη νεκρὸς ἐρρίπτετο καὶ ἀνίετό γε τῶν δεσμῶν, ἐν τεθυκόσιν αὐτοῖς λελογισμένος, ὃ δὲ βοῶν καὶ μαρτυρόμενος ὅτι μὴ πείθοιτο, κατὰ στόματος παιόμενος πολυχειρίᾳ τε τῶν ἐπὶ τοῦτο τεταγμένων κατασιγαζόμενος, μετὰ βίας ἐξωθεῖτο, καὶ εἰ μὴ τεθυκὼς ἦν· 1.5 οὕτως ἐκ παντὸς τὸ δοκεῖν ἠνυκέναι αὐτοῖς περὶ πολλοῦ ὑπῆρχεν. ἐκ δὴ οὖν τῶν τοσούτων μόνοι τοῦ τῶν ἁγίων μαρτύρων κατηξιώθησαν στεφάνου Ἄλφειος καὶ Ζακχαῖος· οἳ μετὰ μάστιγας καὶ ξεσμοὺς δεσμά τε χαλεπὰ καὶ τὰς ἐπὶ τούτοις ἀλγηδόνας ἑτέρας τε διαφόρους ἐξετάσεις νυχθήμερον ὑπὸ τέσσαρα τοῦ κολαστηρίου ξύλου κεντήματα τοὺς πόδας παραταθέντες, ∆ίου μηνὸς ἑπτακαιδεκάτῃ αὕτη παρὰ Ῥωμαίοις ἡ πρὸ δεκαπέντε Καλανδῶν ∆εκεμβρίων μόνον ἕνα θεὸν καὶ μόνον Χριστὸν βασιλέα Ἰησοῦν ὁμολογήσαντες, ὥς τι βλάσφημον φθεγξάμενοι, ὁμοίως τῷ προτέρῳ μάρτυρι τὰς κεφαλὰς ἀπετμήθησαν. 2.1 Μνήμης δ' ἄξια τυγχάνει καὶ τὰ περὶ Ῥωμανὸν ἐν Ἀντιοχείᾳ ἐπὶ τῆς αὐτῆς ἡμέρας ἀποτελεσθέντα. Παλαιστινὸς γὰρ οὗτος ὢν διάκονός τε καὶ ἐπορκιστὴς τῆς ἐν Καισαρείᾳ παροικίας, ὁμοῦ τῇ τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν καθαιρέσει γενόμενος ἐκεῖσε, πλείους ἄνδρας ἅμα γυναιξὶν καὶ τέκνοις σωρηδὸν τοῖς εἰδώλοις προσιόντας τε καὶ θύοντας