Seven Blessed Sleeper Brothers

These illustrious Martyrs were no sooner out of the hands of the emperor than, instead of relaxing in their initial fervor, they promised each other once again to remain firm and unshakable in the fidelity they owed to Jesus Christ. They did not fail, however, to deliberate among themselves on the course of action they should take, and the conclusion was that they would absent themselves for a time, so as not to expose themselves unnecessarily to the violence and cruelties of their persecutor. They therefore drew as much money as they could from their parents, and, having distributed the greater part of it to the poor, they kept the rest to provide for their needs in the place where they would remain in hiding. Then they left the city and went to hide in a cave that was on a neighboring mountain, which was called Mount Ochlon, where they remained for several days, continually praying to the divine Majesty to fill them with the spirit of strength to generously confess His name until death. But as this cave did not provide them with the means to live, they sent the youngest among them to the city fr om time to time to bring le plus jeune d'entre eux One of the Seven Sleepers, responsible for provisions and a witness to the change of era. them food. He performed this office with great skill; for he was a man of wit, and one who possessed much prudence. He usually disguised himself as a beggar, and yet he never made a trip without also giving alms to other poor people, and without learning news of the emperor and the persecution of the Christians.

However, this prince, who had gone to other cities of Asia to make the servants of the true God feel his cruelty, returned to Ephesus a nd ord Éphèse Principal city of John's apostolate in Asia Minor. ered a great sacrifice there to thank his idols for the success of his affairs and the happiness of his return. He called the leaders of the city to this sacrilegious ceremony and commanded, among others, that the seven Confessors whom he had interrogated and released on his first journey be brought there. He was told that they were no longer in the city, but that they had withdrawn secretly, without anyone knowing what had become of them. He fell into a great rage over this and swore that he would find them, wherever they might be, and that he would make them feel what it was to despise him. The pious steward of the Saints learned all that was happening; and having escaped skillfully, he went to find them, bringing them provisions, along with the news of the inquiries that were going to be made about them and the torments that were being prepared for them. This account, far from disheartening them, inflamed their courage all the more. They took their meal peacefully, and, after having prayed with extraordinary fervor, they lay down on the ground and fell asleep as calmly as if they had nothing to fear. This sleep was for

LIVES OF THE SAINTS. — VOLUME IX.

them a sleep of death. They all seven passed away before daybreak and without waking up, and, God having placed their souls in a place of rest, their bodies remained on the spot in the same state as they were when they fell asleep.

The emperor, having finally learned where they were, resolved, not without a particular design of divine Providence, to have them locked in this cave, so that despair and hunger would cause them to die there, and that they would be buried alive in this sepulcher that they had chosen for themselves. The entrance to the cavern was therefore blocked with large stones, and, so that no one from the outside would have the boldness to deliver them, his seal was placed upon it along with that of the city. But Theodosius and Barbe, two officers of his chamber who were Christians, took care to have the names of the holy Confessors engraved on a lead plate, with the time and the nature of their martyrdom, and, having placed this plate in a copper box, which they sealed very diligently, they found a way to throw it into the cavern before the door was completely blocked.

We shall now admire the ways of God and the wise conduct of His Providence, which has never permitted evil except to draw from it a greater good, and which performs unheard-of wonders to glorify His servants and to support the faith and doctrine of His Church. The Emperor Decius havi Dèce Roman emperor responsible for the persecution of Christians in 250. ng died, along with many others who succeeded him, the monarchy of the universe finally fell, around the year 408, into the hands of Theodosius the Yo Théodose le Jeune Byzantine emperor associated with the translation of relics. unger, son of Arcadius and grandson of Theodosius the Great. This prince, being very religious, did all he could to support the glory of the Christian religion and to repress the fury of the heretics who wished to corrupt its innocence and purity. However, besides Nestorianism, which he had condemned at the General Council of Ephesus, there arose, towards the end of his reign, another heresy, that of t he Sadduce Sadducéens A heresy denying the resurrection of the dead, refuted by the miracle of the Sleepers. es, who, by denying the resurrection of the dead, ruined the hope of the just and turned the faithful away from the practice of good works. This prince was extremely afflicted by it; but God soon consoled him, by using our blessed martyrs to confound this new heresy and establish the truth of the resurrection.

There was in Ephesus a lord named Adolius, who had become the possessor of the mountain and the cave where these Saints had fallen asleep. As he had a great number of flocks, he resolved to have a sheepfold built there where they could be sheltered. The workmen he sent there, looking for stones on all sides, took those that blocked the door of the cavern: so that it remained open, without, however, anyone entering inside. Then, the divine power spread the spirit of life into our seven Sleepers, and resurrected them. They rose immediately, and, after having said their prayer to God, according to their praiseworthy custom, they greeted one another, without any sign of astonishment: indeed, there was no change in their persons, and nothing appeared that could make them know that they had been dead for so many years. Their clothes were no more worn than before their slumber. Their bodies were without corruption or alteration. Their spirits were in the same state as before; and, although it had been nearly two hundred years since they had lost consciousness along with life, they appeared as if they had fallen asleep the evening before, and had awakened in the morning as usual. Finally, they were still in the same concerns regarding the matter of their religion and the persecution of Decius, the outcome of which they were still awaiting. Maximian, who was the eldest, even gave them an exhor tation t Maximien The eldest of the Seven Sleepers and their spokesperson. o encourage them to suffer generously for Jesus Christ all the torments that the tyrant was preparing for them, in the hope of the reward of eternal life. After which, he gave orders to their usual steward to make another trip to the city in secret to buy bread and to learn what was happening.

The holy young man left the cave at the break of day, not yet noticing any change; but he was very surprised when, the sun having risen, he saw at all the gates of the city the salutary sign of the holy cross, planted with much honor and glory, and the world greeting it as they passed by with great respect. He did not know if he was awake or asleep, if it was a truth or a phantom. "What is this!" he said to himself, "yesterday this sign was an object of horror, and there was no cave deep enough to hide it, and today it is triumphant and glorious, and no one fears to publicly render it honor. How could the world have changed so prodigiously in one night, and how could one have even crafted such beautiful crosses in so little time?" Everything he encountered increased his admiration: for he saw the buildings embellished, the squares widened, the clothes and the manner of speaking totally changed, whereas before Ephesus had been in a completely different state. It occurred to him then that he had perhaps been transp Éphèse Principal city of John's apostolate in Asia Minor. orted to another city, and he actually asked what the one he was in was called; he was told it was called Ephesus, which astonished him even more. He resolved to get bread as soon as possible and go back to his companions, to share with them such a surprising novelty. But, when he wanted to pay the baker, the coin he offered in payment appeared so ancient to those who were present that they concluded he had found some treasure hidden in the earth. This led to him being taken before the bishop and the magistrate, with whom he was obliged to explain himself.

He was very surprised to no longer see in Ephesus any profane temple, nor simulacrum of false gods, nor any vestige of that cult which had formerly been rendered to Diana, and to see there, on the contrary, a magnificent church dedicated to the true God and a bishop honored by all the people; but they were no less surprised to hear him speak of the Emperor Decius, of the persecution of the Christians, of the massacre of the martyrs, and of many other events that he claimed to have seen the day before, even though nearly two hundred years had passed since all that had occurred. In this mutual astonishment, he told the prelate and the officers that, to be persuaded of what he was telling them, they only had to come with him, and that he would show them his six companions whom the cruelty of that emperor had forced to hide in a cave. They followed him willingly, with many people who wanted to see the outcome of such a prodigious encounter.

When they were on the mountain, the holy Martyr showed them the door of the cave. The bishop entered first, and encountered at first between two stones the small copper chest of which we have already spoken. He found there leaden plates where the persecution and martyrdom of the seven Confessors were written; he read them in the presence of the whole company, who cried out in astonishment that God was admirable in his works and that infinite praises must be given to Him. Then they all advanced further into the cave, where they perceived the six blessed ones with a luminous face and all radiant with glory. There was no one in the company who did not prostrate themselves on the ground to honor men so extraordinary and so favored by heaven; we do not doubt even that everyone hastened to kiss their feet and hands. Maximian, the eldest, explained at length w Maximien The eldest of the Seven Sleepers and their spokesperson. hat had happened to them under the emperor Decius, and the state in which the Church was at that time; seeing that things had so wonderfully changed during their sleep, he rendered a thousand praises to God. Notice was given as soon as possible to the emperor of what was happening; he came himself to Ephesus, he entered the cave from which the servants of God had not wished to leave; he venerated them, says Saint Gregory of Tours, wit h his face pressed agai saint Grégoire de Tours Bishop and historian who mentions the martyrdom of Antolian. nst the ground, and conversed with them with much consolation. And these blessed ones, to whom God had made known his design regarding their resurrection, taking the word, said to him: "August prince, it is not without reason that God has preserved us so long without corruption and that He has restored our life: it is to confound heretics who have risen in your empire, who have enough impiety to deny the resurrection of the dead, in order to tear from the hearts of Christians the faith that operates through hope and charity. Learn then, by our resurrection, that there is nothing more true than what the apostle Saint Paul says, that all of us, as many as we are, will appear in body and soul at the end of the ages before the tribunal of Jesus Christ, to be judged there for all the good and all the evil that we have done. And take great care not to let yourself be surprised by the false reasons of these impostors." The emperor listened to this discourse with much joy, and rendered thanks to God for his mercy.

Then the seven Martyrs, having taken leave of the company and made their prayer to God, resumed their first posture and fell asleep again in Our Lord, to reign eternally with Him in heaven. Theodosius, after their death, wishing to give them marks of his royal magnificence, commanded that a golden sepulcher be made for each of them; but, the following night, they appeared to him and begged him not to make this expense and to leave them in their cave. This prince, receiving this vision as an order from heaven, revoked the one he had given: and the Saints remained in the place that they had so long sanctified by their presence, covered only with small veils of silk or linen. Saint Gregory of Tours and Metaphrastes say that they were still there in their time. Th e cave wher Métaphraste Byzantine hagiographer, author of the Acts of the Saints. e their bodies were found became famous through the devotion of the faithful. It is still shown to travelers who go to the Levant.

There are two ways to explain this miracle: the first is that they fell into a true sleep, without dying, and that after two centuries they awoke. The second is that they died, and that, their bodies having remained without corruption, they were resurrected: which caused their death to be called a sleep, and for them to be given the name of Sleepers. Baronius, in his Notes on the Martyrology, cites for the first, among the Greeks, Metaphrastes, Nicephorus, Callistus, and Cedrenus, and among the Latins, Saint Gregory of Tours and Sigebert. But these authors are for the second. Be that as it may, there is nothing in what we have reported that is not within the power of God, and the difficulties that one might propose to combat it are easy to resolve. Above all, it is certain that there were seven martyrs who have, from all antiquity, been called *Septem dormientes*; this was not without reason. This prodigy was no more difficult to verify than any other: one must reject the testimony of Gregory of Tours and Metaphrastes everywhere else if one does not admit it here, where they are not contradicted by any earlier or contemporary historian.

The Latin martyrologies commemorate these seven Martyrs on this day, July 27; the Greeks, in their menology, on August 4 and October 22, which are the day they were enclosed in the cave, and the day they were later found.

One sees in Rome, in the *Musæum Victorium*, a stone that resembles a precious stone quite closely. A group of figures has been engraved upon it representing the seven Sleepers, each with his name. John and Constantine have two clubs near them; there is one full of knots near Maximilian. Malchus and Martinia n have Malchus One of the Seven Sleepers, responsible for provisions and a witness to the change of era. two axes at their sides; Serapion, a flaming torch; and Dionysius, a large nail. The intention was to represent the different types of tortures they were made to suffer. The seven martyrs appear very young, which agrees with several ancient monuments where they are called *children*.

Taken from Saint Gregory of To urs and Simeon Metaphra saint Grégoire de Tours Bishop and historian who mentions the martyrdom of Antolian. stes. — Cf. *Acta Sanctorum* and the work printed in Rome in 1741, in-4°, under the title of *Dissertatio de sanctis septem Dormientibus*.