The Persian Martyrs of Martyropolis

The Persian Martyrs of Martyropolis are those who suffered for Christ under the Persian king Shapur and whose remains were moved to Martyropolis (Tigrit) by Bishop Maruthas. The Azbyka page commemorates them on 1 March, a movable day, and tells chiefly of Venerable Maruthas.

Venerable Maruthas was bishop of the city of Tigrit (in Greek Martyropolis), which he had founded, a frontier city between the Byzantine Empire and Persia. He was known for his learning and piety, wrote about the martyrs who had suffered for Christ under the Persian king Shapur, and left writings in the Syriac language, of which best known are the "Commentary on the Gospel", the "Songs of Maruthas", the "Liturgy of Maruthas" and the "73 Canons of the Ecumenical Council of Nicaea (325)" with a description of the acts of the Council. In 381 he took part in the second Ecumenical Council, at Constantinople, assembled against the heresy of Macedonius, and in 383 in the local Council of Antioch against the Messalians. In 403-404 he went to Constantinople to obtain from the emperor Arcadius protection for the Christians of Persia. Twice he was sent by the emperor Theodosius the Younger to the shah Yazdegerd to make peace between the empire and Persia.

In 414, as envoy at the court of Yazdegerd, Maruthas inclined the shah toward the Christians and contributed much to freedom of confession of the true faith in Persia. He rebuilt Christian churches destroyed in the persecution of the shah Shapur, and requested and moved to Martyropolis the relics of the holy martyrs. The magi rose twice against the holy bishop, but their plan failed and Maruthas won still more trust. At that time he healed, together with Bishop Abdas, by the prayer of faith, the demon-⁠possessed son of Yazdegerd, after which the shah even intended to receive Baptism and allowed free confession of the Christian faith in Persia. He died around 422. His relics were later moved to Egypt, to the monastery of the Mother of God in Scetis.