The Constantinople Synaxary

THE CONSTANTINOPLE SYNAXARY (10th cent. A.D.)

The following story about the Martyrs of Rhaitou (Tor Sina), is translated from Acta Sanctorum, Jan. 14, vol. I, pp. 966-967, which quoted the Constantinople Synaxary.

G: 4.

The Passion of our saintly fathers at Sinai [410 A.D.]. They cairns from different countries. They had abandoned the world, their relatives, their proper¬ties, and had retired to Mount Sinai, where they became monks and devoted themselves entirely to the worship of God. They ate herba. With them was the holy man, Nilos who had previously been eparch of Constantinople, a wise and pious man. It was he who wrote the passion of these holy fathers, while deploring the captivity of his own son Theodūlos. The devil was envious of them and aroused the savage nation of the Blemmyes (Blemmyōn) against them. They were living on (the coast of) the Red Sea from Arabia to Egypt. As they hoped to capture treasures, they went to pillage monks. On finding nothing but mats and monks wearing hair sacks, although they had received no harm from them, they became furious and massacred all of them.

A long time before this, during the reign of Diocletian (284-305) the Agarenes (Agarenon) had killed some holy fathers at Sinai and Rhaitō (22 December).

(Another redaction): The commemoration of the Forty-three holy fathers whom the Blemmyes have butchered on the Red Sea (coast), at the place of the Twelve Springs and the Seventy-two Palm-trees. Three hundred Blemmyes embarked in great pirogues (xylois megalois), crossed the Sea or Ethiopia (Aithiopia), came to the place of Aēla and found there a ship (ploion) - and crossed to the country of the Pharanites. The Pharanites went out to meet the Blemmyes, but were beaten and lost one hundred and forty-seven men (who were) butchered. (Delehaye, Synaxarium, pp. 390-391).