Hieromartyr 4th century

Hieromartyr Silvanus Bishop of Gaza, and 40 Martyrs with him

died c. 311

Also known as Silvanus of Gaza · the 40 martyrs with him

A former soldier who became bishop of Gaza and, after long confinement at the mines, was beheaded together with forty companions during the persecution of Diocletian.

Feast Day

May 4

Also Oct 14

Draft

Draft — pending review. Not yet verified for publication.

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Commemorated as

The Holy Hieromartyr Silvanus, Bishop of Gaza, and the Forty Martyrs with him

Life

Silvanus, Bishop of Gaza, was a hierarch of Palestine martyred together with a company of companions during the Great Persecution of the early fourth century. According to the Orthodox synaxarion he came from the vicinity of Gaza and served as a soldier in his youth before entering the clergy, being ordained a priest and afterward consecrated bishop of the city. He is venerated as a hieromartyr — a bishop who sealed his episcopal office with a martyr's death.

During the persecution under the emperor Diocletian and his successor Maximinus, Silvanus was arrested and condemned, with many other confessors, to hard labour in the imperial copper mines. Already advanced in years and weakened by the brutal conditions, he continued to encourage his fellow Christians and to preach. When the order came that those no longer able to work should be put to death, he was beheaded together with the band of martyrs gathered around him. The Orthodox calendar commemorates him on May 4 and October 14.

The earliest witness to these events is the historian Eusebius of Caesarea, whose Martyrs of Palestine records the execution at the copper mines of Phaeno. As a saint of the undivided pre-Nicene Church, Silvanus is honoured in the Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and wider Christian traditions.

Timeline 3 moments Read Hide

late 3rd century Soldier and clergyman of Gaza Born near Gaza, Silvanus served as a soldier before entering the Church, being ordained priest and later consecrated bishop of Gaza, where the synaxarion credits him with bringing many pagans to the faith.
c. 308-311 Trial at Caesarea and condemnation to the mines Under the persecution of Diocletian and Maximinus, Silvanus was brought for trial to Caesarea, endured torture, and was sentenced to hard labour in the copper mines.
c. 311 Beheading at the copper mines Aged and exhausted but still exhorting the confessors, Silvanus was beheaded together with the company of martyrs commemorated with him.

Contributions & Legacy

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The copper mines of Phaeno

Eusebius of Caesarea, an eyewitness to the persecution in Palestine, places Silvanus among the confessors condemned to the copper mines of Phaeno, a settlement in the Arabian desert between Petra and Zoar whose mines were worked by convicts. The aged bishop, no longer fit for the labour, presided over a group of confessors who had been released from the heaviest work and who kept to fasting, prayer, and the customary observances of their faith.

According to Eusebius, the provincial governor reported the situation at the mines to the emperor, and on the orders of Maximinus the confessors who could no longer labour were put to death. Silvanus and his companions were beheaded in a single day, near the close of the roughly eight years of persecution in the province.

The number of the martyrs

The Orthodox commemoration titles the feast "Silvanus and 40 Martyrs," and the synaxarion relates that forty who came to believe in Christ through the bishop's words were martyred with him. The primary account of Eusebius, however, states that "forty, lacking one, were beheaded in one day" — that is, thirty-nine. The exact reckoning of the company varies between the liturgical tradition and the historical source; the feast is kept as that of Silvanus and the forty martyrs with him.

Notes

Named group; also commemorated Oct 14 in some calendars.

Sources: OCA Synaxarion (oca.org), Lives of the Saints