During the reign of Diocletian (284-305) Christians within the Roman Empire suffered widespread persecution, especially in the eastern provinces. The stories of those who confessed their faith up to the point of their execution became sources for inspirational accounts of their feats. These martyrs were venerated and the sites of their executions and there tombs often became pilgrimage destinations. The case was no different in Edessa. The tales of the martyrdoms of Shmona, Guria and Habib were told widely and locals and travelers alike sought out their tombs as a sacred site at which to pray. One particular tale of devotion is that of Euphemia, a young Edessan girl who was delivered by the souls of the martyrs from her abusive husband, a Goth, Byzantine soldier, and his in-laws after she killed his first wife in retaliation for the woman’s murdering her infant child. In this book the Syriac text of the tale of the miraculous deliverance of Euphemia is presented by Professor Burkitt along with an introduction, translation and commentary.

Francis Crawford Burkitt (1864-1935) began his academic career as a student of mathematics. While at Cambridge University he moved to the study of Divinity, eventually becoming the Norrisian Professor. His interest in the text of the New Testament led him to study Syriac manuscripts and to publish widely in the field. He was a fellow of the British Academy.