| Anastasius of Persia | |
|---|---|
Detail of a Holy card depicting the martyrdom of Anastasius |
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| Saint & Martyr | |
| Born | 6th Century Persia |
| Died | 22 January 628 Euphrates Valley |
| Honored in | Eastern Orthodox Churches, Eastern Catholic Churches, Roman Catholic Church |
| Canonized | pre-congregation |
| Feast | 22 January |
Saint Anastasius of Persia (born with the name Magundat), once a member of the Zoroastrian Magi caste, became a convert of the Holy Cross and was martyred in 628.
Anastasius was a soldier in the army of Khusrau II (d. 628) when that monarch carried the True Cross from Jerusalem to Sassanid Persia. The occasion prompted him to ask for information; then he left the army, became a Christian, and afterwards a monk in Jerusalem. His Persian name, Magundat, he changed to Anastasius. After seven years of the monastic observance, he was moved, as he thought, by the Holy Ghost to go in quest of martyrdom and went to Caesarea, then subject to the Persians.
Reproaching his countrymen for their magic and fireworship, both of which he had once practised, he was taken prisoner, cruelly tortured to make him abjure, and finally carried down near the Euphrates, to a place called Barsaloe (or Bethsaloe according to the Bollandists), where his tortures were renewed while at the same time the highest honours in the service of King Chosroes were promised him if he would renounce Christianity.
Finally, with seventy others, he was strangled to death and decapitated, on January 22, 628. His body, which was thrown to the dogs, but was left untouched by them, was carried from there to Palestine, afterwards to Constantinople, and finally to Rome.
A Passio written in Greek was devoted to the saint. An adapted Latin translation, possibly by Archbishop Theodore of Canterbury, was available to the Anglo-Saxon church historian Bede, who criticised the result and took it upon himself to 'improve' it. There are no surviving manuscripts of Bede's revision, though one did survive as late as the 15th century.[1]
His feast day is 22 January.
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This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed (1913). Catholic Encyclopedia. Robert Appleton Company.