E06111: The ‘epic’ Greek Martyrdom of *Christophoros (martyr of Pamphylia, S00616) tells of Reprebos, an outwardly repulsive barbarian from a tribe of cannibals, who is baptised a Christian in Syrian Antioch, tortured and, after converting many followers, including Aquilina and Kallinike, is martyred under Decius in Perge (Pamphylia) or Antioch. Written probably in Pamphylia, possibly in the 5th century or later.
Creators: name: Nikolaos
Publisher: name: University of Oxford
Year: 2018
Subjects: History

description: Martyrdom of Christophoros (BHG 309-310c)<br><br>Summary:<br><br>§§ 1-2: In the fourth year of the emperor Dekios, an imperial decree is issued commanding everyone to partake of sacrificial meats. A comes has taken prisoner in battle a barbarian named Reprebos, a physically repulsive Cynocephalus [a man with a dog's head] from the land of the Man-eaters, and enrolled him in the numerus of the Marmaritai. Reprebos is a godly man but ignorant of our tongue [Greek is most likely intended]; he prays to God and is given the gift of language.<br><br>§ 2: Reprebos goes to town and berates the persecutors, one of whom strikes him; but the saint does not retaliate.<br><br>§ 3: The man who had struck the saint reports him – and describes his fearsome appearance – to the emperor, who sends two hundred soldiers to capture or kill Reprebos.<br><br>§ 4: Reprebos sits down in front of a church to pray, and his staff blossoms with new growth (the miracle of the rod of Aaron), strengthening his resolve.<br><br>§ 5: A woman gathering roses sees Reprebos and, frightened because of his appearance, points him out to the soldiers sent for him. At first spying him from afar and then emboldened, they confront him.<br><br>§§ 6-7: The soldiers tell Reprebos why they were sent, and he consents to go with them. The soldiers offer to falsely report not having found him, but the saint wants to go, asking merely for a moment of respite. When the soldiers complain about their supplies having run out and not being able to wait, Reprebos performs the miracle of the five loaves through the mediation of the angel *Raphael (S00481), and feeds them. As a result the soldiers embrace the Christian faith and are baptised together with Reprebos in Antioch (of Syria in BHG 309) by the saintly bishop *Babylas (S00061). Reprebos is renamed Christophoros.<br><br>Text: van Hooff , Usener 1886, <br><br>§ 8: (In BHG 309, the saint and his companions now travel to Perge). As the company enters the imperial palace, Christophoros instructs the soldiers to tie him up and, for the time being, do the emperor’s bidding, but at the same time to reflect on their own salvation.<br><br>§ 9: Christophoros appears before the emperor, who is intimidated by his appearance, and rebukes him. Dekios questions the saint and attempts to persuade him to sacrifice, in vain.<br><br>§ 10: Christophoros is tortured, first by being hung by his hair and having a big rock tied to his feet, then by being struck with swords, then burned with three lamps, but each time the saint refuses to sacrifice. Dekios is then persuaded by his officials to attempt bribery instead, but to no effect.<br><br>§ 11: The officials now suggest to the emperor that Christophoros, as an ἀλλόφυλος or foreigner [presumably since barbarians were supposed to be less able to control their sexual drive], be seduced by women into sacrificing. Two prostitutes are accordingly decked up and placed in a room with the saint, but Christophoros prays to God for fortitude and, when he addresses the women, they are frightened by his appearance.<br><br>§ 12: The women, Aquilina and Kallinike, are faced by the dilemma of whether to face the wrath of Christophoros or of the emperor, but on reflection decide that the rewards of Christ are the greater.<br><br>§ 13: The women ask Christophoros to pray for their sins. Summoned before the emperor, they declare their faith in Christ.<br><br>§ 14: Aquilina confesses her faith and is martyred by being hung by her hair and having two (mill)stones tied to her feet, expiring as Christophoros prays for her soul (on 1 April in BHG 310).<br><br>§§ 15-16: After seeing the dead body of her friend, Kallinike is seemingly persuaded to sacrifice to Zeus, Apollo and Herakles, and enters the pagan temple amid great pomp and circumstance. However, her capitulation turns out to be feigned, and she mocks the gods who are unable to speak for themselves or defend themselves, as she casts down their idols.<br><br>§ 17: Kallinike is brought before the enraged emperor and belittles the pagan gods. Dekios orders a device to be constructed for her execution.<br><br>§ 18: Kallinike is impaled on a spit horizontally and stones are hung from her hand and foot, expiring, like Aquilina, as Christophoros prays for her (on 2 April in BHG 310). The emperor commands both their bodies to be kept until Christophoros is brought forward.<br><br>§ 19: The following day the emperor has Christophoros brought before him, and attempts to win him over, but the saint refuses.<br><br>§§ 20-21: The two hundred soldiers reappear and declare themselves Christians and followers of Christophoros. The emperor accuses them of rebellion and wonders if material concerns such as budget cuts in equipment or supplies are the cause of their discontent, trying to cajole them into accepting his rule, but they persist in their faith. Dekios, fearing they might set an example for others to follow, quickly has them executed and their bodies burned in a furnace (on 7 April in BHG 310).<br><br>§ 22: The emperor has Christophoros brought before him, complains that the saint has robbed him of his soldiers and, after Christophoros replies with his customary parrhesia (outspokenness), threatens him with torture (in BHG 310). Christophoros is nailed to a bronze bench, while around him wood is piled forming a circular covered structure, which is then doused with oil and set on fire.<br><br>§ 23: As the pyre burns with the saint inside, Christian onlookers await the chance to collect his relics, while pagan spectators wish to see him perish. Christophoros sits in the middle of the flames and narrates to the surrounding crowd a vision of his, in which a fair-faced, white-clad and glorious ruler is at first defeated in battle by an ugly, black and black-clad one, but later returns in wrath to crush his enemy’s war host and bind the wicked king in fiery chains.<br><br>§ 24: On witnessing Christophoros defy the flames and remain unharmed, a thousand men from among the crowd convert to Christianity, pull the martyr out of the fire and taunt the emperor, who, perturbed, withdraws to his palace. The Devil then visits him (only in BHG 310), disguised as a human, and urges him to action against the martyr.<br><br>§ 25: The next morning the emperor commands all to sacrifice to the heathen gods. Christophoros and his supporting crowd resist the order, and Dekios has his troops massacre the crowd, on 9 July (both BHG 309 and 310 – in addition, in BHG 309 they number 10203 and the day is Sunday).<br><br>§ 26: Dekios has a huge stone tied around Christophoros’ neck and has him thrown into a deep well, but the stone is crushed to dust and angels lift the saint out of the well. The emperor accuses him of magic and has a bronze cape heated up with fire and put on him, but the saint is unharmed. When the saint shows himself immune to the emperor’s threats and promises, the latter at last orders him to be executed by beheading.<br><br>§ 27: When Christophoros is led out to the place of execution, he asks the soldier taking him there to be allowed to pray. He asks Christ for the evil emperor to die in demonic torment eating his own flesh, and makes a set of requests on behalf of the Christians: for God to help them, for any piece of Christophoros’ bodily relic to have the power to drive away demons (BHG 309 also forgiveness of sins) and prevent agricultural problems such as hail, generic catastrophes [lit. ‘(your) wrath’, θυμὸς (σός)) and bad grape harvests (in BHG 309 also αὐχμὸς γεννημάτων, ‘crop failure due to drought’). In BHG 309 the saint’s martyrdom account, ὑπομνήματα, is also mentioned.] A voice from the heavens replies, granting the request. After this the saint convinces the soldier to slay him, which the soldier reluctantly does and then commits suicide.<br><br>§ 28: The bishop of Attaleia, Petros, pays a great deal of silver to obtain the saint’s body (and many others in BHG 309) and brings it to his city, which is near Pisidian (‘Persian’ in the mss.) Antioch and where God continues to perform many great miracles daily (BHG 309 seems to suggest that he guards the city from an annual flooding of the river). After the death of the saint, the emperor Dekios falls victim to a terrible disease which dissolves his body. Christophoros’ martyrdom took place on the 9th of May (which was Wednesday according to BHG 310).<br><br>Text: van Hooff 1882, 121-148, and Usener 1886, 56-76. <br>Summary: N. Kälviäinen.