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Persian Martyr Acts in Syriac: Text and Translation
Persian Martyr Acts in Syriac is a series of Syriac martyrological texts composed from the fourth century into the Islamic period. They detail the martyrdom of a diversity of Christians at the hands of Sasanian kings, bureaucrats, and priests. These documents vary from purely mythological accounts to descriptions of actual events with a clear historical basis, however distorted by the hagiographer’s hand.
Series Editor: Adam H. Becker (New York University)
The History of Mar Behnam and Sarah
Martyrdom and Monasticism in Medieval Iraq
Edited and Translated by Jeanne-Nicole Mellon Saint-Laurent & Kyle Smith
ISBN: 978-1-4632-3914-5
The History of Mar Behnam and Sarah tells the story of two siblings who convert to Christianity under the tutelage of Mar Mattai, a monastic leader and wonderworker from the Roman Empire. In this volume, Jeanne-Nicole Mellon Saint-Laurent and Kyle Smith provide the first critical edition and English translation of this fascinating martyrdom narrative.
The History of the ‘Slave of Christ’
From Jewish Child to Christian Martyr
ISBN: 978-1-4632-0573-7
The first critical editions and English translations of the two Syriac recensions of a fascinating text which narrates the story of a young Jewish child, Asher. After converting to Christianity and taking the name ʿAḇdā da-Mšiḥā (‘slave of Christ’), he is martyred by his father. In a detailed introduction, Butts and Gross challenge the use of this text by previous scholars as evidence for historical interactions between Jews and Christians, reevaluating its purpose and situating the story in its Late Antique Babylonian context.
Persian Martyr Acts under King Yazdgird I
Edited and Translated by Geoffrey Herman
ISBN: 978-1-4632-0623-9
This volume presents five vivid tales of Christian martyrs from the fifth century. These accounts thematize the conflict between the martyrs' identity as Persian subjects loyal to the Zoroastrian king and their devotion to Christianity.
The Martyrs of Mount Ber'ain
Edited and Translated by Sebastian P. Brock; Introduction by Paul C. Dilley
ISBN: 978-1-4632-0421-1
The Martyrs of Mount Ber’ain is the poignant tale of three noble Iranian siblings who are martyred under Shapur II. Composed in the seventh century, it demonstrates enduring concerns of Christian self-definition in Iran, especially with respect to the Zoroastrian priesthood.
The Martyrdom and History of Blessed Simeon bar Sabba'e
By Kyle Smith
ISBN: 978-1-4632-0245-3
The Martyrdom, and the later History, of Simeon bar Sabba’e narrate the death of the bishop of Seleucia-Ctesiphon who was killed around the year 340 C.E. at the beginning of King Shapur II’s “Great Persecution” of Christians in Sasanian Persia.
The Story of Mar Pinhas
Edited and Translated by Adam Carter McCollum
ISBN: 978-1-4632-0217-0
This volume contains the Syriac Life of Mar Pinhas, a purported martyr under the Sasanian Empire. This edition contains the Syriac text (first published in 1894 by Paul Bedjan), an English translation, explanatory annotations, and Addai Scher's Arabic version of the story.
The History of the Holy Mar Ma‘in
With a Guide to the Persian Martyr Acts
ISBN: 978-1-59333-222-8
The History of Holy Mar Ma‘in of Sinjar tells the story of a Sasanian general during the time of Shapur II (309-79) who suffered persecution after his conversion to Christianity. In this volume, the first in this new series from Gorgias Press, Sebastian P. Brock provides the first edition ever of the Syriac text of the History of Ma‘in as well as the first full translation of it. This volume also includes a basic guide to the whole corpus of Persian Martyr Acts as well as useful indices to these numerous texts.