The Life of Saint Kaleb of Axum, Saint Arethas, and 4299 Martyrs of Nagran
From the Great Collection of the Lives of the Saints by Saint Demetrius of Rostov
At the time when the pious and Orthodox Emperor Justin reigned in the land of the Greeks, and Elesbaan (Kaleb ʾElla ʾAṣbeḥa) ruled over the Ethiopians, a lawless king named Dunaan (Dhū Nuwās), a Jew by birth and faith, and a blasphemer of the name of Christ and a great persecutor of Christians, ascended the throne in the land of Himyaritia (Yemen). All his advisors, servants, and soldiers were either Jews or pagans who worshiped the sun, moon, and idols. He tried to expel all Christians from his region and to eradicate the very memory of the great name of Christ in the land of Homer. Zealously persecuting the Church of God, he tortured and killed the faithful who did not submit to his orders and did not want to live according to Jewish law.
Hearing that Dunaan had raised a persecution of Christians in his country, the Emperor of Ethiopia, Elesbaan, was greatly distressed and, gathering his troops, went to war against him; after many battles, Elesbaan defeated him and, having made him his tributary, returned to his land. A short time later, Dunaan rebelled against Elesbaan again, broke the treaty with him, and, gathering his troops, destroyed all of Elesbaan’s troops left to guard the cities, after which he armed himself even more strongly against the Christians. He commanded everywhere that Christians either accept the Jewish faith or he would slaughter them without mercy. No longer anyone who dared to confess Christ existed in his kingdom, and only in one extensive and populous city was the name of Christ glorified, that being in Nagran. The holy faith had shone in him since Constantius, the son of Constantine the Great, sent his ambassadors to the Sabeans, now called the Himyarites, tracing their lineage back to Keturah, Abraham’s slave. Arriving there, the God-wise and pious ambassadors won the king of that country over to Constantius, taught its inhabitants the faith in Jesus Christ, and built Churches. Thenceforth, piety flourished in Nagran, Christian teaching grew, the population of monastics increased, leading to the establishment of more monasteries, all classes preserved chastity, and the faithful prospered and perfected themselves in virtues. They did not allow any non-believer to live among them: neither Greek, Jew, nor heretic, but they all, as children of one mother, the Catholic Apostolic Church, dwelt in all piety and purity.
Envious of the great piety of this city, the devil armed Dunaan the Judaizer against it. Having heard that the inhabitants of the city of Nagran did not obey his command and did not want to live according to the Jewish law, Dunaan went against them with all his troops, planning to exterminate the Christians in his region and, by this extermination, to agitate Kaleb, the Emperor of Ethiopia. Having approached the city, he surrounded it with a multitude of troops, surrounded it with trenches, and boasted that he would soon take it and exterminate its inhabitants mercilessly. He said to the citizens:
“If you want to receive mercy from me and stay alive, then throw down the cursed signs (that’s what he, the accursed one, called the Holy Cross), which you raised to the tops of high temples, and also renounce the Crucified One depicted on these signs.”
At the same time, the king’s squires walked around the city and exclaimed:
“Obey the king: then you will remain alive and receive gifts from him, but if not, you will perish by fire and sword.”
Dunaan himself spoke blasphemously of Christ and the Christians:
“How many Christians have I destroyed? How many priests and monks have I killed with the sword? How many have I burned with fire? And Christ did not deliver a single one of them from my hands. And even He could not be saved from the hands of those who crucified Him. And so, I have come to you, inhabitants of Nagran, either to excommunicate you from Christ or to eradicate you.”
The citizens answered him:
“King! You speak too boldly of the Almighty God. You have become like Rabshakeh, Sennacherib’s general, who said proudly to Hezekiah: “Let not thy God, in whom thou trustest, deceive thee!” But such blasphemy did not go unpunished. Do you know how many thousands of the army perished in one hour for such blasphemy? Take care that this does not happen to you, a blasphemer of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Almighty and omnipotent, terrible and taking away the courage of princes! The Lord can also crush you and reduce your arrogant and blasphemous pride to nothing. You boast that you will either turn us away from Christ or annihilate us. You can indeed destroy us sooner than turn us away from Christ, our Savior, for whom we are all ready to die.”
Unable to bear such speeches, the king became even more angry and pressed the city with all his forces, intending to exhaust it with hunger through a prolonged siege in case he did not take the city by storm. Located near the city, in the villages and deserts, he found many Christians, and having captured them, he killed them in various ways and sold others into slavery. His attempts to take the city by storm were unsuccessful: the citizens of Nagran courageously defended themselves from the walls and defeated the impious. The king labored hard with his troops but could neither take the city nor exhaust it with hunger since the citizens had stocked up on food for many years. Despairing of his hopes, the lawless Dunaan devised a ruse as sharp as a razor and sent ambassadors to the city with the following speeches, supported by an oath:
“I do not want to offend you or turn you away from your faith; I seek only the usual tribute you must pay me as your king. Open the city gates for me so that I may enter and inspect it. I will take the usual tribute from you, and I swear by God and the law that I will do you no great or small harm but will leave you to live in peace — in your faith.”
The citizens answered him:
“We Christians have learned from the Holy Scriptures to obey the king and submit to the authorities (Rom. 13:1–2). If you do as you swear to us — not to turn us away from our Lord Jesus Christ, we will open the city's gates to you. Enter it as a king and take the usual tribute from us. But if you do us harm, God, who hears your oaths, will punish you soon. But we will not turn away from Christ our Savior, not only if we lose our property, but even our very lives.”
The king again emphatically swore he would not do them the slightest harm. They, believing him, opened the city and worshiped the impious one, presenting him with gifts. The king entered the city with his entire army, like a wolf in sheep’s clothing, into a flock, captured the walls and gates of the city, and occupied them with his troops. Seeing the beauty of the city and the multitude of people in it, he treated them kindly until the time he was harboring the poison hidden in his heart. Having rested a little in the city, he again stood at the head of his troops, and, wishing to begin the godless deed that he had conceived, he commanded the venerable men and city commanders to appear before him. By his command, all who were in the city came out to him, the venerable elders and leaders, respected and rich men. Among them was the blessed Arethas, the eldest in age and intelligence, rank and honor. At 95 years of age, he was prince and commander, entrusted with the entire welfare of the city. Thanks to his wise advice and reasonable management, the citizens bravely resisted their enemies for a long time. Appearing with Arethas at their head to the lawless king, the citizens paid him due homage and thanked him for his intentions since he swore that he would do them no harm. They did not yet know his cunning. But he could not hide the poison in himself for long and immediately revealed the malice that he had cunningly concealed within himself: he called the oath he had given the citizens childish fun and ordered all the citizens, along with Saint Arethas, to be chained and imprisoned. After this, he sent soldiers to their houses and plundered their property. He also asked where Paul, their bishop, was. Having learned that the bishop had died two years before, he ordered his coffin to be dug up and, having taken out the body of the deceased, he burned it with fire and scattered the ashes into the air. Then, having lit a huge fire, he gathered a multitude of priests, clergy, monks, nuns, and virgins dedicated to God, numbering 427 martyrs, and, having thrown them into the fire, burned them, saying:
“They are the culprits of the death of the others since they gave instruction to honor the Crucified One as God.”
In addition, Dunaan ordered the heralds to go around the city and proclaim that everyone should reject Christ and live according to the Jewish law like the king.
After this, he called the first citizens of the city who were kept in prison and began to speak to them, and especially to Arethas:
“What madness is yours — to believe in the Crucified as God! Can God suffer despite Him not having a body? Or can the immortal die? After all, there are some among you who, following the example of Nestorius, revere Christ not as God but as a prophet. I do not urge you to worship the sun, or the moon, or any creature; I compel you to offer sacrifices not to the pagan gods but only to God, the Creator of every creature.”
To these words, Saint Arethas, on behalf of everyone, answered:
“We know that the Divinity cannot suffer, but Christ in the humanity suffered for us, assumed by Jesus Christ from the Most Pure Virgin, as the prophets testify, of whom you also know; Christ the Lord demonstrated His Divinity by unspeakable miracles. But what is the need for long debates? We confess that He is God and the Son of God, and in the name of all the citizens of the city, we say that there is no torment that we would not be ready to bear for the sake of Jesus Christ, our God. We have nothing to do with Nestorius, condemned by the holy fathers: we do not separate persons in Christ, but we believe that His humanity is united with the Divinity in one Divine Person. You, who speak blasphemous words against our Lord, will soon be punished by God for this blasphemy and for breaking your oath.”
The tormentor listened to these words indulgently (for he was ashamed of the wisdom of Arethas and the nobility of the other citizens), and began to win their hearts with kind words, promising them gifts and honors; in this way he wanted to incline their piety and zeal for Christ to his iniquity. But they, lifting up their eyes to heaven, cried out, as if with one mouth:
“We do not reject Thee, the only Word of God, Jesus Christ, we are not tempted by Thy most holy birth from the Most Pure Virgin, and we do not mock Thy precious Cross.”
Seeing the steadfastness of the holy men in the faith, the king postponed their torture for a while and rushed against the people, beating many mercilessly. He ordered that the wives and children of those holy martyrs who were kept in chains together with Arethas be brought. With these honorable women came a great multitude of other women, widows, virgins, and nuns. The king first enticed them all with kind words and then threatened them with torture, convincing them to renounce Christ. However, they not only refused to agree with this, but they also responded with speeches that were annoying to the king. The monastic virgins especially denounced the king, reproaching him for his impiety. Unable to bear their obstinacy, the king ordered the soldiers to execute them all with the sword. They went to their deaths as if to a celebration. At this point, a dispute arose between them: the monastic virgins, wanting to die first, said to the other women:
“You know that in the Church of Christ, we are placed above others. Remember that we have always occupied the first place: we were the first to enter the temple of the Lord and the first to approach the Most Pure Mysteries. We stood and sat in the first place in the temple. Therefore, it befits us to be the first to accept the honor of martyrdom here; we are the first to wish to die and to go before you and your husbands to our Bridegroom, Jesus Christ.”
The other wives were ahead of each other, bowing their heads to the sword. In the same way, the little children crowded among their mothers, hurrying to die, and each child cried out loudly:
“Cut off my head, execute me!”
Their zeal to die for Christ was so great that it astonished the wicked Jew Dunaan and all his nobles. And the lawless king said:
“Oh, how could the Galilean deceive people so much that they consider death to be nothing and, for His sake, destroy their souls and bodies!”
In the same city of Nagran, there lived a widow named Syncletica, noble and virtuous, beautiful in face, but even more beautiful in soul, prosperous in estates, but even more prosperous in virtues. Left a widow in her youth by her husband, she spent her time at home with her two daughters in fasting and prayer. She did not wish to marry again, but, having become the bride of Christ, she served Him day and night. Although young in years, she was old in mind — even wiser than the elders — in following the commandments of the Lord. Hearing of her, the wicked Jew Dunaan commanded that Syncletica and her daughters be brought to him with honor. When she arrived, the king looked at her kindly and began to speak to her in an ingratiating voice:
“We have heard about you, venerable woman, that you are noble, chaste, and wise. Your face and your whole appearance testify that everything said about you is true. Do not try to imitate those foolish women whom I destroyed for their folly; do not call Him God who was crucified on the Cross, for He was a glutton, a friend of publicans and sinners (Mt. 11:19), and an opponent of the laws of the fathers. Act as befits your noble origin, renounce the Nazarene, and be of one mind with us. And you will be with the queen in the royal chambers, honored by all, and live in contentment, free from all the troubles associated with widowhood. Good fame has reached us about you, and the very deed confirms this. Indeed, you have great riches, much property of all kinds, slaves and slaves, are respected by all, young and beautiful, but despite all your prosperity, you did not wish to marry a second time. They also say about you that you are virtuous and prudent. Do as you should now: be prudent to the end, listen to my sound advice, and do not think of giving such beauty and youth of yours, as well as the innocence of your children, into the hands of tormentors who will bring more shame and dishonor than torture. Stop glorifying the Crucified and, having submitted to our laws, choose what is useful for yourself and for your children.”
The blessed and venerable woman answered the king with these words:
“You should, O king, honor Him who gave you power, this purple, and this diadem — even more: who gave you your very being and life. This is the Son of God and God. But you showed ingratitude for so great a favor from Him, and with an insolent tongue, you reviled your Benefactor. Are you not afraid that thunder from on high will strike you? You want to honor me with great honors, but I consider your honors to be a dishonor to myself, and I do not want to be praised by that tongue that blasphemes my God. Nor will I be so mad as to live with the enemies of God in the houses of sinners.”
Hearing this, the king became filled with anger and, turning to his nobles, said:
“You see how shamelessly this nasty woman slanders us!”
Then he ordered that the veil be taken from the head of Syncletica and her daughters and that she be led through the city with her head uncovered and her hair loose, subjecting her to mockery and ridicule. As she was being led through the city streets in disgrace, she saw that many women were crying over the mockery and humiliation that was being inflicted upon her. Turning to them, she said:
“I know, my friends, how you grieve to see the dishonor forced upon me and my daughters! But do not grieve when I rejoice, neither weep when I am merry. This day is more joyful for me than the wedding day, for I suffer for the sake of my Bridegroom, for Whom I have preserved my widowhood blameless. For Him, I have preserved the immaculate virginity of my beloved daughters. I rejoice now that my Lord sees my disgrace, hears my confession, and knows my zeal; I did not desire honors or riches, and I do not even want this temporary life. My only desire is to find Christ, to appear before Him in the host of holy martyrs, and to bring to Him the fruit of my womb — these my daughters. Therefore, I ask you, my sisters, not to weep for me but rather rejoice with me that I am going to be united with my incorruptible Heavenly Bridegroom.”
After this, they brought her to the king again. The king said to her:
“Renounce the confession of Christ, and you will remain alive.”
The saint answered:
“If I deny Christ for the sake of this temporary life, then who will deliver me from eternal death and unquenchable fire?”
Then, raising her eyes to heaven, she said:
“May it not happen to me, O immortal King, that I should reject Thee, the Only Begotten Son of God, and listen to the blasphemer and perjurer, who by cunning took the city and persecutes Thy holy Church.”
The king was filled with great rage and cried out:
“O wicked woman! I will immediately crush your body, rend your belly, throw you to be devoured by dogs, and see: will the Nazarene, in whom you trust, deliver you from my hands?”
Unable to bear these words of the tormentor, the eldest daughter of Syncletica, who was twelve years old, spat in his face. The servants standing there immediately cut off her head, and together with her, they killed her younger sister with the sword.
So, both daughters fell dead before the eyes of their praiseworthy mother. Then, the king commanded that their blood be collected and brought to the lips of their mother for her to drink. Having tasted the blood, she said:
“I glorify Thee, O Lord my God, for having made me worthy to partake of the pure sacrifice of my poor daughters. To Thee, O Lord Christ, I offer this my sacrifice. To Thee, I present these martyrs, pure virgins, who came forth from my womb. Having united me with them, lead me into Thy chamber, and, as Saint David says, show me ‘as a mother rejoicing over her children’ (Ps. 112:9).”
Then, the torturer ordered her head to be cut off with a sword. Thus, the mother and her daughters moved to the abodes of eternal bliss. The torturer swore:
“I have never seen in my life such a beautiful woman and such beautiful girls as these, who did not spare either their beauty or their lives.”
The next day, sitting in a high place, the king summoned Arethas and his companions, three hundred and forty men in number. When they appeared, the king, turning to Arethas as the eldest, said:
“You, vile man, have risen up against our authority, have stirred up the whole city against us, and commanded them to resist us. You have forced the citizens to obey your words as a law, but you reject our laws and commands. You have taught the people to revere the Crucified One as God and to consider, as a helper, Him Who did not help Himself when He was crucified. Why did you not follow your father, who, when he ruled Nagran, obeyed the kings who were before us? Truly, you and all your followers are worthy of torment, like the men and women whom we have already put to death, to whom the Son of Mary and the carpenter could not render any help.”
The old man stood there in thought, suffering greatly from the proud speeches of the godless king. Then he sighed from the depths of his heart and said:
“It is not you, O king, who is to blame for all that has happened, but our citizens who did not listen to my advice. I advised them not to open the city gates to you, a cunning and crafty man, but to fight you bravely. But they did not heed my words. I wanted to go out with a small detachment against all your troops, as Gideon once did against the Midianites, for I hoped for my Christ, Who is now blasphemed by you. He would have helped me overcome, conquer, and humiliate you, a godless oathbreaker who has forgotten the agreement we established by which you swore an oath to preserve the city and the citizens.”
One of those sitting with the king said to the saint:
“Is this what the law of Moses teaches you? It commands: ‘You shall not revile a ruler of your people’ (Ex. 22:28). And besides, your Scripture teaches you to honor the king, not only the good and meek, but also the obstinate (1 Pt. 2:17–18).”
The saint answered him:
“Have you not heard what the Prophet Elijah said to Ahab? When Ahab turned to Elijah and said, ‘Art thou he that troubleth Israel?’ Elijah then said to him, ‘I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father’s house.’ Look: he reproached and rebuked not only Ahab alone but also his whole house, yet he did not break the law. And anyone who reverently honors God does not break the law when he rebukes an ungodly king for his ungodliness — a king who was not afraid to blaspheme God and slander the Creator. But I see that you disregard the longsuffering of God and strive to make us act like you. O unjust, godless, and inhuman king! Have you dealt with us as you promised? Is such justice befitting a king? Were the kings who reigned before you like this? Truly, they are not like that, but the good and meek, the merciful and truthful, who kept the word they spoke and showed mercy to their people. But you, perjurer, cannot be sated with human blood! Know that the omniscient God will soon depose you from the royal throne and give it to a believing and good man, and will also strengthen and exalt the Christian race and build the Church, which you burned with fire and razed to the ground. As for me, I consider myself blessed, since in my old age, having ninety-five years and having seen my sons’ sons and daughters, I accept a martyr’s death and bring my native city with me as a sacrifice to God.”
Then, turning to the people and to his fellow sufferers, he began to speak thus:
“Citizens, my friends and relatives! We were deceived, believing the oath and crafty words of this godless king, and now we see his untruth and hear his blasphemous words. We would have done well if we had resisted him in war and stood firm to the end! God would have helped us to defeat him. But since it happened otherwise, and we now face the choice of either obeying the enemy and living in misery in this temporary life or disobeying, accepting a blessed end, then let us try to inherit immortal glory through suffering. What can be more glorious than martyrdom, and what is more honorable than suffering for Christ?! For a long time now, I have had the thought and desire to endure torment for Christ. Now, having received what I desired and found what I sought, I rejoice and am ready to die at once. And you, brothers, do not be afraid nor be faint-hearted; Do not show attachment to temporary life, lest for its sake you lose eternal life. Likewise, our tormentor will boast if, having frightened us with threats, he tears away any of us from the holy faith; he will exalt himself in his pride as if he had conquered everyone, and he will increase his blasphemies against the Son of God even more. If anyone is found among us who fears death and thinks of denying Christ — Eternal Life, let him immediately leave our midst, let him separate from our unanimous and like-minded host, and not bear the name of Christian in vain. Anyone who denies Thee, Christ, the Word of God, for the sake of temporary life, let him lose it! If any of my relatives or neighbors, overcome by the desire for temporary blessings, leave Thee, Creator, and follow in the footsteps of the wicked king, then do not allow him, O King Christ, to enjoy what seems to him to be good and comfort, but let all kinds of misfortunes and adversities befall him!”
When the saint said this, all Christians, without exception, shedding warm tears, began to speak:
“Be calm, our leader and teacher! No one will leave you, and no one will stand out from our host. We are all ready to die for Christ before you and to receive a blessed end.”
The saint replied to this:
“I will go ahead of you; I will die first and be your leader. As you gave me leadership in the city, so let me be the first to come to Christ here.”
Then the saint added:
“If any of my sons remain alive in the holy faith, let him be the heir to my estates. Of these, I give three villages to the holy Church, which will soon be restored. For this lawless tormentor will soon perish, and the Church of Christ in this city will be established and flourish, like a crimson flower, washed with the blood of so many servants of Christ.”
Having said this, the saint blessed the people and, raising his hands and eyes to heaven, exclaimed:
“Glory to Thee, Lord, for all that has happened!” Turning to the king, he said:
“I thank you, king, for your patience and for not interrupting my speeches but for giving me time to talk with my friends. Now, do not delay any longer, but do what you want, for you see our determination; you have learned our way of thinking, and you see that it cannot be that we reject Christ and follow your godlessness.”
Seeing their inflexibility, the king condemned them all to death and led the saints to a stream called Odias to be beheaded there. When they arrived at the designated place, the saints gave themselves over to fervent prayer. They prayed: “Lord, Lord! the hope of our salvation! Thou hast overshadowed our heads in the day of struggle. Now lead us to eternal life, for we have loved nothing more than Thee: neither our fatherland, nor our relatives, nor our riches, but have left all this for Thy sake. We have despised even our very lives and have become like sheep led to the slaughter. We humbly pray to Thee: avenge the blood of Thy servants, stretch out Thy hand against the pride of the impious king, take under Thy protection the children of those who died for Thee, establish the city that boasts of Thy precious Blood, Cross, and suffering. Thou dost see what Thine enemies hath done to it: they hath destroyed its beauty, desecrated Thy sanctuary, burned Thy holy temple. Raise it up again and give the scepter to Christian kings!”
During this prayer of the saints, the soldiers began to execute them. The first to behead was the holy and great Arethas, the leader of the Christians, and then all the other sacred martyrs. Thus, three hundred and forty men received a blessed end.
There was also a believing woman, a citizen of this city. She had a son with her, a small child no older than five. Seeing the beheading of the holy martyrs by the sword, she ran up to them and, taking some of their blood, anointed herself and her son with it. Then, filled with jealousy, she cursed the king and loudly proclaimed:
“This Jew will be the same as Pharaoh.”
The soldiers seized her and, bringing her to the king, recounted her words. Without letting her say anything and without asking her anything, the king ordered her to be immediately burned at the stake.
When a large fire was lit, and the torturers began to bind this blessed woman in order to throw her on the fire, her young son began to cry. Seeing the king sitting, the boy ran up to him, embraced his legs, and, with eyes full of tears, begged as best he could for the salvation of his mother.
The king took this beautiful and eloquent boy onto his lap and asked:
“Who do you love more: me or your mother?”
The boy answered:
“I love my mother; that is why I came to you. I beg you, order her to be untied: let her take me with her to the torture she often taught me about.”
The king asked him:
“What is this torment you speak of?” The boy, filled with the grace of God acting in him, answered:
“The torment consists in dying for Christ with the goal of living with Him again.”
The king asked:
“And who is this Christ?”
The boy replied:
“Come with me to church, and I will show Him to you.” Then, looking again at his mother, the child said with tears:
“Let me go; I’ll go to my mother.”
“Why did you come to me, leaving your mother?” the king objected. “Don’t go to her, but stay with us. I will give you apples, nuts, and all sorts of beautiful fruits.”
So the king talked to him like he would to any other child, assuming he had a childish mind. But the child surpassed his age in intelligence and answered him thoughtfully:
“I will not stay with you but want to go to my mother. I thought that you were a Christian and came to beg you for my mother. But you are a Jew; therefore, I do not want to stay with you, and I will not take anything from your hands. I only want you to let me go to my mother.”
The king was amazed at the intelligence of the little child. The child, seeing that his mother had been thrown into the fire, bit the king hard. Feeling the pain, the king pushed him away from himself and then ordered one of the nobles standing there to take him and bring him up according to Jewish law, in hatred of Christianity. The nobleman took the child and, amazed at his intelligence, led him to his tent. On the way, he met his friend, stopped, and began to tell about this child. They were standing not far from the fire on which the holy mother of the infant had been thrown. While they were talking, the boy broke free from the hands of the one leading him, ran quickly, and jumped into the fire; there, embracing his mother, he was burned together with her. Thus, mother and son became a fragrant burnt offering before God.
Glory to God, who made the little child so wise that the prophetic words were fulfilled in him: “Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.”
When all this was happening, the princes and commanders of the lawless king regretted such a significant shedding of Christian blood. They turned to the king and asked him to stop the bloodshed and not to destroy the city, from which a large tribute was delivered annually. The lawless one acted according to their request and stopped shedding innocent blood. However, he chose many thousands of infants and maidens both from this city and from the entire Nagran region, took some into slavery for himself, and distributed others, at his discretion, to nobles and soldiers. The whole city, which had previously freely worshiped the Holy Trinity, he subjected to heavy slavery, after which he went to his capital.
When this God-hating Jew was returning home, a fire appeared in the sky and illuminated the air all night. As a result of the appearance of this fire, Dunaan and all his troops were in great fear. And the fire began to fall on the earth in the form of rain and caused much harm. This was a sign of God’s wrath and the beginning of vengeance for the bloodshed. However, the new pharaoh did not want to correct himself and did not humble himself before the strong hand of God. He was inflamed with such a furious rage against the Christians that he planned to exterminate them not only in his own country but also in other regions and kingdoms. Namely, he sent ambassadors to the Persian king, convincing him to do the same and kill all the Christians in his realm if he wanted “the sun and the father of the sun, the Jewish God, to be merciful to him.” The Persians revered the sun as a god. Therefore, Dunaan, wishing to arm the Persian king against the Christians, called the Jewish God “father of the sun.” He also wrote to the Saracen king Alamundar [Al-Mundhir III ibn al-Nu’man of the Lakhmids], promising him much gold if he would exterminate the Christians under his rule.
Hearing of all this, the pious Greek Emperor Justin was greatly grieved and, distressed in heart over the persecution of Christians, sent a letter to the Alexandrian Archbishop Asterius, asking him to incite the Ethiopian Emperor Elesbaan to war against the impious Jew to avenge the blood of Christians. In addition, he himself wrote to Emperor Elesbaan about everything that Dunaan had done to the Christians in the Homerite land, especially in the city of Nagran, and also about how he had sent ambassadors to the Persian Emperor and to the Saracen prince, arming them against the Christians with requests and bribery. At the same time, Justin asked Elesbaan, as having borders adjacent to Dunaan, to go to war against this blasphemer, thirsting for Christian blood. Archbishop Asterius urged Elesbaan to war, and he himself earnestly prayed to God for help for the Christians and for the dispersal of their enemies. He also sent to all the monks who were in Nitria and in the sketes, asking them to pray. The Ethiopian Emperor Elesbaan learned of all that had happened in the land of Homer not only from Emperor Justin and Archbishop Asterius, but he himself had known about it before since his troops, left to guard the neighboring cities, had been killed. Burning with zeal for God and grieving in his heart for the Christians, he wanted to go to war immediately against Dunaan, but he could not since it was winter, and he waited for summer, preparing everything necessary for war. When winter passed, he gathered from his own troops and, from the warriors of other nations who had come to his aid, an army of 120,000 men. In the winter, he armed seventy Indian ships and also took sixty ships from Persian and Ethiopian merchants who had come for trade and repaired many of the antiquated ships. With the coming of spring, Elesbaan went to war with his troops. From lower Ethiopia, he sent part of the army by land to the Homer regions, and he personally, with the rest of the forces, boarded ships and went by sea. He wanted to enter the Homerite country by land and by sea in order to surround the Jewish king from all sides. But God, who arranges everything wisely and does not according to human will but according to His inscrutable destinies, knowing that he can serve the good, destroyed the intentions of the blessed Emperor Elesbaan. His troops, sent to the Homerites by land, lost their way in the deserts and mountains, in impassable and waterless places, and could neither reach the Homerite region nor return back. Wandering for many days, they became exhausted from thirst and fell dead. Only a few remained alive, and returning to their fatherland brought disappointing news. Likewise, the Emperor, who was sailing on the sea in ships, had no luck. Having landed at a particular city named Dakelu, the Emperor left the ship and went to the Church that stood on the seashore. There, he took off his crown and purple, the royal robe and the insignia of his dignity, and, leaving them at the door of the Church, entered it in the clothes of a beggar and prayed for a long time with tenderness before the altar.
Remembering in prayer the miracles that God performed in Egypt and in the desert for the ungrateful Jews, the Emperor said:
“The Jews have been ungrateful to Tnee, their Benefactor, not only those whom Thou broughtest out of Egypt but also their children and the whole tribe, even to this day. Thou knowest, Lord, what evil they have done to Thy city, the Reward, in which they captured Thy people by cunning. They have made an unlawful plan against Thy saints and are trying to exterminate the remaining Christians from the face of the earth. If all this is done for our sins, then we pray for Thy goodness; do not deliver us into their hands, but punish us Thy as Thou pleasest, for both greatness and mercy belong to Thee! But do not deliver us to our enemies, lest they say: ‘Where is their Christ, in whom they trust, and where is their Cross, of which they boast?’”
Having prayed thus with tears, the Emperor left the Church and left the city. Here, he heard that a certain holy monk named Zeno had been living in a solitary cell not far from the city for forty-five years without leaving it and, for his virtuous life, had received from God the gift of prophecy and knowledge of the future. The Emperor went to this monk in the guise of a simple soldier; he took with him a vessel with incense, and under it, he hid gold, hoping that the elder, through ignorance, would accept the gold along with the incense. Having entered the elder, the Emperor bowed to him and, handing over the gift he had brought, asked him to pray for him and asked: will God help them in the war against the Jew Dunaan, against whom they are going to avenge the blood of Christians?
Being clairvoyant, the elder recognized the Emperor in him and the gold that was hidden under the incense. He did not accept the gift and said:
“Have you not heard what the Lord says: ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay?’ You have undertaken war for your own destruction. The Empire will be taken from you, and many will lose their lives with you.”
Hearing this, the Emperor became very frightened and left the saint weeping and lamenting. In great grief and sorrow, he pondered throughout the night, wondering what to do. Finally, he decided to flee. However, when morning came, he again approached the monk. He said to him:
“There is no city on earth where you could escape death. But if you want to stay alive and defeat the wicked king, then promise to go into monastic life.”
Elesbaan promised with an oath, saying:
“If God gives me victory over Dunaan, I will immediately leave the Empire and become a monk.”
Hearing these words of the Emperor and seeing his tears, the elder prayed to God for him and blessed him, as Saul once blessed David against Goliath (1 Sam 17:37), and said:
“May God be with you! Go, aided by the sacrifices of the martyrs, the prayers of Archbishop Asterius and the holy desert fathers who pray for you, and also by the tears of the blessed Emperor Justin. You will defeat Dunaan and avenge the blood of the innocent.”
The Emperor was consoled in his sorrow, accepted the blessing, and went to his troops, rejoicing and glorifying God.
At this time, Dunaan, the king of the Homerites, having heard that Elesbaan, the Emperor of Ethiopia, was coming against him by sea and land, also gathered a multitude of troops and, heavily armed, stood on the borders of his land, awaiting the invasion of Elesbaan. But when he heard that Elesbaan’s troops, who had come by land, had perished in the deserts, he rejoiced and no longer feared coming from the land; he now only focused on the sea. But even here, there was no danger. Between Ethiopia and the Homerite land, there is a sea shoal and a narrow place less than two stadia wide. On it were scattered many large and sharp stones, barely covered by water. Therefore, this place was not suited for the passage of ships. Dunaan added a significant obstacle to this. He stretched out a thick and colossal iron chain and blocked the sea shallows with it so that not only the frequent stones but also the iron chain would block the path of Elesbaan and prevent his ships from reaching the other side.
But God, “whose understanding is infinite” (Ps 146:5), destroyed the wisdom of the cunning Jew. By His miraculous power, He made a convenient path for Christians in this impassable place.
When Elesbaan set sail from the city of Dakela with good hope, a favorable wind arose. Having set sail, they sailed very quickly and, in a few days, reached the borders of the Omirite country. When they came to a narrow shoal of the sea and still knew nothing, the Emperor ordered ten ships to cross first, and after them, he appointed twenty more ships to cross, on which he himself was, watching the crossing from above. The rest of the multitude of ships remained far behind, waiting for the front ones to cross. But as soon as the first ten ships set off, immediately the Lord God, to Whom belong the ways of the sea, came to the aid of His faithful, and where the destruction of the ships was about to occur, there, beyond all expectation, the Lord arranged salvation. Suddenly, a great storm arose on the sea, and the waves rose as high as mountains. Catching the ships, they carried them across that dangerous place. Only one ship stopped on the iron barrier and seemed to be standing on a rock, but by the power of God, the water rose high and carried it away. Thus was fulfilled what was said by the Prophet David: “They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business on great waters, see the works of the Lord, and His wonders in the deep” (Ps 106:23–24).
Such a miracle was performed by the strong hand of God. The waves not only carried the leading ships through an inconvenient place blocked by stones and an iron chain but also tore apart the iron barrier itself by the storm and sea waves and arranged a convenient passage for the other ships.
After carrying the first ten ships across the dangerous place, the waves placed them on the shore at a distance of two hundred stadia from the place where king Dunaan stood with all the Homerite troops. The other twenty ships, on which Emperor Elesbaan was also, although they crossed the sea gorge, were driven away by the wind, did not overtake the front ones but were scattered by the waves over the sea. Having learned of the ships that had landed on the shore, Dunaan immediately sent 30,000 armed warriors on horses to prevent the Christians from leaving the ships on dry land. The ships scattered over the sea did not reach the ten front ships until the storm had ceased, but they stopped, and the people could not get out on land because they were severely beaten from the shore by Dunaan’s warriors. The remaining numerous ships only crossed the dangerous place on the third day and stopped not far from the shore. But they could not connect with the leading ships, and being far apart, they knew nothing about each other.
Thinking that the Ethiopian Emperor was where the many scattered ships were, Dunaan went there with his troops and stationed himself near the shore, preventing the enemy from landing on land from the ships. They stood there for a long time, and both sides began to suffer great need. The Ethiopians who were on the ships lacked bread and water, and the Homerites who were standing on the shore were overcome by the heat of the sun. Then Dunaan sent one of his relatives, a prince with 20,000 horsemen, to help the 30,000 soldiers who were guarding the leading ships, not allowing the Christians to go ashore. With that prince went also one of the king’s eunuchs, who carried five golden spears. They fought with the Christians who landed on land in parts and set up camp on the shore for many days. One day, the prince sent by Dunaan, taking with him a eunuch that carried golden spears and some servants, went out from his camp to hunt and spent the night there. That same night, some of Elesbaan’s warriors who were on the shore, suffering from hunger, agreed to flee. Having stolen horses, they mounted them and disappeared from the camp. By chance, or rather by God’s dispensation, they came across the Homerite prince and the king’s eunuch, who were sitting in ambush for wild animals, and they entered into battle with them. Having overcome them, they captured the prince, a relative of the king, and the eunuch with the spears. They cut down the rest with swords and then returned to their ships, leading the living captives to their king and carrying the golden spears. The Emperor was pleased and thanked God, who began to deliver the enemies of the Holy Cross into his hands and promised to give the golden spears to the temple of God for the beautification of the altar. Early in the morning, having prepared the warriors for battle, the Emperor put them on small ships. Having come out on dry land, they called upon the Lord for help and began a fierce battle with the Homerites. The latter, having lost their leader, began to fall into confusion and, showing their rear, turned to flight. The Christians pursued and cut them down like stalks. God helped them, and not a single enemy escaped, but all fell from the Christian sword so that no one remained who could notify the Judaizing king of the death of his troops. On the occasion of the victory granted to them, the Christians offered up prayers of thanksgiving to God.
But it was not yet time for the complete triumph of the Christians. The greater part of Elesbaan’s army, who were on the rear ships, were in great distress for two reasons: their supplies of food and drink were running low, and they did not know where their Emperor was with the ships in front. Elesbaan, who had a relative of the king and a eunuch in captivity, went to the capital city of the Homerite country, called Farom, where the palace of king Dunaan was. Not finding a guard near the city, Elesbaan took it without difficulty. Then he entered the royal chambers and sat on Dunaan’s throne; he seized all his wealth and kept the queen and her court captive. Some who fled from the city came to their king Dunaan, who was continuing the war against Elesbaan’s ships, and told him everything, how Elesbaan had defeated the troops and captured the capital city and the queen.
Hearing this, Dunaan became very frightened. Under the influence of fear, courage left him, and he did not know what to do. The Lord took away his reason and began to avenge the innocent blood of Christians. The lawless Dunaan began to fear not only Elesbaan but also his own nobles and relatives. Not trusting them and fearing that they would betray him and turn themselves over to Elesbaan, he bound them all and himself with golden chains and sat down in his camp, awaiting the final execution. So mad did the accursed king go, because fear fell upon him, as once upon the rulers of Edom, Moab, and Canaan, about whom it is said in the Holy Scripture: “Then the dukes of Edom shall be amazed; the mighty men of Moab, trembling shall take hold upon them; all the inhabitants of Canaan shall melt away.”
At this time, the Christians who remained on the numerous ships standing behind knew nothing and, being in great confusion and sorrow, far from their Emperor, turned to fervent prayer. Having celebrated the Divine Liturgy on the ships and having received the Divine Mysteries, they cried out with one voice to God, asking for help. And immediately, a voice was heard from heaven calling:
“Gabriel, Gabriel, Gabriel!”
The believers all heard this voice and were strengthened in spirit, and, having armed themselves for battle, they set out on small ships to the shore. And behold, among them appeared a heretofore unseen warrior, holding in his hands an iron staff, on top of which was a cross; the other end of the staff was sharp, like a spear. With this weapon, the warrior rushed to the shore before all, immediately fought with an armed warrior sitting on a horse, and pierced him along with his horse. When the horse and rider fell, immediately all the enemies became afraid and fled from the shore. The Christians, having taken the shore, went in orderly ranks against the wicked. A great slaughter took place. The Lord confused the Jews and pagans, and they were unable to resist the Christians. And then the entire army of the godless king Dunaan fell, like grass mown down with a scythe.
When the Christians then reached the king’s tent, they found the king there, bound with golden chains, with his princes and relatives, sitting in a state of madness. And they were all amazed at this strange phenomenon. Without doing anything toward them, the Christian soldiers guarded their captives until they learned that their Emperor, the Blessed Elesbaan, had taken the enemy’s capital. Then, they sent him news of the God-given victory over the vile Jew. Leaving part of the army in the city for protection, Emperor Elesbaan himself hastened to his Christians. Finding Dunaan with his retinue sitting in golden chains, Elesbaan executed him and all who were with him with his own hand. Great was the triumph of the Christians and unspeakable joy according to the word: “The righteous will rejoice when he sees vengeance” (Ps 57:11).
Returning to the city, Elesbaan executed all the infidels who were in the royal chambers with the queen and completely destroyed all the enemies of Christ. Then he sent a message to Emperor Justin and to the Archbishop of Alexandria, reporting that the Lord had magnified His mercy upon them, laid their enemies under their feet, and avenged the blood of Christians. Everyone thanked God. The Archbishop immediately sent bishops and priests to the Homerites to teach the faith and baptize the remaining people. Elesbaan began to build Churches in the cities and spread the glory of the name of Jesus Christ. Having come to the martyred city of Nagran, he restored the Church that the impious Dunaan had burned, beautifully decorated the tombs of the holy martyrs, and encouraged all Christians and declared them free. He made the surviving son of Saint Arethas the commander of the city, and in a short time, he cleansed the entire land of Homer from godless impiety and enlightened it with the holy faith. Then he enthroned a pious and virtuous man by the name of Abraham, established Christian church laws and civil laws, and, having strengthened the welfare, returned with his troops to his country, glorifying God. He returned with fabulous riches since his troops captured much booty.
Arriving in his own country, Elesbaan gave thanks to God for everything and sent his royal crown to Jerusalem, and a few days later, he himself, having surrendered the Ethiopian Empire and himself to the will of God, left everything. At night, he secretly left the royal chambers and the city, in modest clothing, not like an Emperor, but like some beggar, and locked himself in a cell near the monastery that was there, from which he did not leave until his death, laboring for God day and night. His food was one flatbread for three days, and sometimes, he ate figs and dates. In his cell, he had nothing else but felt, a wooden bucket and a basket. He never ate wine or oil. Thus, he renounced the whole world and its glory, turned all his thoughts to God, and served Him alone, living fifteen years in monasticism. He was granted a blessed end and passed away in peace. For all that has been said, we give glory to our God always now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
