Venerable-Martyr 7th century

Venerable-Martyr Anastasius the Persian

died 628

A Persian soldier, son of a magus, who was drawn to Christ by the holy Cross, became a monk in Jerusalem, and was strangled for the faith under Chosroes II.

Feast Day

January 22

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Commemorated as

The Holy Venerable-Martyr Anastasius the Persian

Life

Anastasius the Persian was a Sasanian soldier who converted to Christianity, became a monk in Jerusalem, and was put to death for the faith in 628 under the Persian emperor Chosroes II. Born in Persia to a magus named Bavi, he bore the native name Magundat before his baptism. He is commemorated on January 22.

According to his Life, Magundat served in the armies of Chosroes II, who captured Jerusalem in 614 and carried the True Cross away to Persia. Reports of the Cross, and the knowledge that the Lord had been crucified upon it for the salvation of mankind, drew him toward the Christian faith, which he came to know more fully while stationed at Chalcedon. He left the army, was baptized with the name Anastasius, and entered monastic life in Jerusalem, where the sources relate that he spent some seven years in strict ascetic observance.

Moved by reading the lives of the martyrs, Anastasius went to Caesarea in Palestine, then under Persian control, where he openly rebuked the Zoroastrian priests for their fire-worship and was arrested. He endured prolonged torture and refused offers of freedom and honor at the Persian court in exchange for renouncing Christ. By order of Chosroes he was strangled and then beheaded, together with seventy others, on January 22, 628. His relics were afterward translated from Persia to Palestine, and by later tradition to Constantinople and Rome.

Timeline 3 moments Read Hide

614 Capture of Jerusalem and the True Cross As a soldier of Chosroes II, Magundat takes part in the Persian campaign that seizes Jerusalem and carries away the True Cross.
c. 621 Baptism and monastic life in Jerusalem He leaves the army, is baptized as Anastasius, and becomes a monk at Jerusalem, where he spends about seven years in ascetic discipline.
628 Arrest at Caesarea and martyrdom Having gone to Caesarea, he is arrested, tortured, and on January 22 strangled and beheaded with seventy others by order of Chosroes II.

Contributions & Legacy

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From Soldier to Monk

The sources present Anastasius's conversion as bound up with the True Cross. As a soldier in the army of Chosroes II, he took part in the Persian campaign that seized Jerusalem in 614 and bore the Cross of Christ back to Persia. Learning that the Lord himself had been crucified upon it, he was drawn to inquire into the Christian faith, which he came to know during the army's stay at Chalcedon.

Leaving military service, he was baptized and given the name Anastasius, a name connected with the resurrection of Christ. The tradition records that he received baptism at Jerusalem and that he then became a monk there, spending about seven years in exact monastic discipline before he was moved toward martyrdom.

Confession and Martyrdom

Drawn by the lives of earlier martyrs, Anastasius came to Caesarea in Palestine, then held by the Persians, and there reproached his countrymen for their magic and fire-worship. He was taken prisoner and subjected to severe torments, including beatings and forced labor, yet he refused to deny Christ even when promised freedom and high honor at the Persian court.

By the order of Chosroes II he was strangled and then beheaded, and the sources relate that he suffered together with seventy others. The Western tradition places his death at Bethsaloe (Barsaloe) near the Euphrates. The Catholic Encyclopedia notes that his Life rests on the Acta Sanctorum and Butler's Lives of the Saints.

Relics

After the death of Chosroes, the relics of Anastasius were translated from Persia to Palestine. The Western tradition further records that his body was carried afterward to Constantinople and finally to Rome, where relics were venerated at the abbey of Tre Fontane.

Sources: OCA Synaxarion (oca.org), Jan 22