Origins and Ministry
By the synaxarion account, Emilian, Dionysius, and Hermippus were brothers, and Hilarion was their teacher. After the death of their parents, the four left their native Armenia and traveled to Italy, settling in the city of Spoleto.
Emilian became known for his virtuous conduct and was consecrated bishop of Trebium (identified with Trevi in Umbria, central Italy). The tradition credits his preaching with the conversion of many pagans. One source from the Benedictine compilation The Book of Saints names him "first Bishop of that city," while also noting disputes among scholars over the nationality and dating of the group.
Trial and Martyrdom
The tradition relates that Emilian was brought before the emperor Maximian (reigned 284–305). When pagan priests failed to heal a long-crippled man, Emilian is said to have healed him through prayer, demonstrating, in the account, the power of Christ. Though the emperor at first responded favorably, his priests persuaded him that the act was sorcery.
According to the synaxarion, Emilian was subjected to a series of ordeals—bound to a wheel, thrown onto hot tin, submerged in a river, and exposed to wild beasts in the arena—and was said to have remained unharmed, with the tradition reporting that about a thousand onlookers were converted. His companions Hilarion, Dionysius, and Hermippus were beheaded.
The account relates that Emilian was executed separately: when the first executioner's sword reportedly failed, the soldiers asked his forgiveness, and a second executioner carried out the beheading. The tradition adds that a milky liquid flowed from his wounds and that the pagans who witnessed it buried him honorably.
Sources and Uncertainty
The accounts of this group are limited and qualified by later scholarship. The Book of Saints, cited in the Wikipedia summary of the August 18 commemoration, observes that "there have been disputes among the learned as to the nationality of some of them," and that "in reality we are no longer in possession of anything like adequate evidence bearing on their date, lives or martyrdom." The martyrdom is placed in Italy around the year 300.
The anchor record lists the region of origin as Armenia, consistent with the tradition that the group came from there before traveling to Italy, and records the era as uncertain.
