Saint Acepsimas
Saint Acepsimas of Hnaita (also known as Acepsimas of Arbela, Akepsimas, or Acepsimus; born c. 300 AD; died 376 AD) was the Bishop of Hnaita (also identified with Arbela, present-day Erbil in northern Iraq) in the Sasanian Empire, who suffered martyrdom under the Persian King Shapur II at the advanced age of approximately eighty years. He was an extremely ascetic man who had reportedly spent eighty years in religious life — retiring to a cell as a young man and living as a hermit for decades before being drawn into the episcopate. He is one of the most fully documented Persian martyrs and is venerated in both the Eastern and Western Church.
According to Syriac hagiographic sources and the account preserved by Theodoret of Cyrrhus in his Historia Ecclesiastica, Saint Acepsimas was arrested with two companions — the priest Joseph and the deacon Aeithalas — and was subjected to severe flogging and torture before being taken to the Persian capital. He died from the effects of his sufferings either at Arbela or during the journey. His companions were also martyred. Saint Acepsimas is commemorated on November 3 in the Western calendar and on April 22 in the Eastern tradition.
Stored in Cargo: Saint Acepsimas
| Saint Acepsimas | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | November 03 |
| Profession | Bishop of Hnaita; hermit and ascetic |
| Rel. Affiliation | Early Persian Christianity; Church of the East; Catholic Church |
| Attributes | Bishop's vestments; martyr's palm; the wounds of torture (flogging) |
| Birthplace | Hnaita (Arbela, present-day Erbil, Iraq) |
| Death Place | Hnaita/Arbela region, Persian Empire (present-day Erbil, Iraq) |
| Cause of Death | Martyrdom — died from severe torture and flogging during the Persian persecution of Shapur II |
| Liturgical Class | Not included |
| Historic Class | Not included |
Biography
Birth
Saint Acepsimas was born around 300 AD in the region of Hnaita (identified in some sources with Arbela, present-day Erbil in northern Iraq, then part of the Sasanian Empire). Arbela/Hnaita was one of the important cities of the Church of the East, with a long Christian presence in the region of Adiabene (a former kingdom that had converted significantly to Christianity as far back as the first century).
Early Life
According to Theodoret of Cyrrhus and Syriac hagiographic sources, Saint Acepsimas was remarkable for his extreme asceticism from a very early age. As a young man he enclosed himself in a cell and lived as a hermit for approximately eighty years — subsisting on bread and water and devoting himself to prayer and fasting. This extraordinary longevity in religious life meant that when he was finally called to episcopal responsibility, he was already a very old man.
His lifestyle was so austere that according to the hagiographic tradition, he would not open the door of his cell for visits — he communicated with visitors through a window. Despite (or because of) this severity of life, his reputation for holiness was such that the Christian community of Hnaita eventually chose him as their bishop.
Occupation
Saint Acepsimas served as Bishop of Hnaita, one of the episcopal sees of the Church of the East (the Christian Church of the Sasanian Empire, centered on Seleucia-Ctesiphon but with bishops throughout Mesopotamia and Persia). His appointment as bishop despite his advanced age and his preference for solitude testifies to the profound reverence in which he was held.
He served as bishop during the great persecution of King Shapur II (309–379 AD), which lasted forty years and claimed an enormous number of Christian martyrs — according to ancient tradition, sixteen thousand martyrs in forty years. The immediate cause of the persecution was Shapur's imposition of a double tax on Christian subjects and their refusal to comply, combined with anti-Christian agitation from the Zoroastrian priestly class and suspicion that Persian Christians were a Roman fifth column, since the Roman emperors (from Constantine onward) were also Christian.
Vocation
Saint Acepsimas's vocation combined the extremes of Eastern Christian asceticism — decades of solitary prayer and fasting — with the pastoral courage of the bishop-martyr. When the persecution came, Acepsimas did not flee or recant but endured fearful suffering for the faith at an age when most men are long dead.
Death
In 376 AD, at approximately 80 years of age as a bishop (and roughly 80 years of age as a hermit before that — making him, if the sources are taken literally, extraordinarily old), Saint Acepsimas was arrested by Persian authorities along with the priest Joseph and the deacon Aeithalas. The three were subjected to severe flogging — beaten with rods and cords on repeated occasions. The elderly bishop's constitution could not survive the repeated beatings. He died from his injuries, either at Arbela or in the course of being transported further into Persia.
His two companions, Joseph and Aeithalas, survived him briefly before also being martyred: Joseph was stoned to death, and Aeithalas was killed by being pelted with stones. All three are venerated together as martyrs.
Saint Acepsimas met his end by martyrdom in 376 AD, dying from the wounds of torture at approximately eighty years of age, after a life of extraordinary holiness, asceticism, and pastoral service.
Significant events
- Born c. 300 AD in Hnaita (Arbela/Erbil, Iraq) in the Sasanian Empire.
- Retired to a hermit's cell as a young man; lived as a solitary ascetic for approximately eighty years.
- Appointed Bishop of Hnaita despite his extreme old age and preference for solitude.
- Arrested during the great persecution of Shapur II in 376 AD, at an extremely advanced age.
- Subjected to severe flogging and torture along with companions Joseph and Aeithalas.
- Died from the effects of torture, 376 AD.
- His companions Joseph and Aeithalas were subsequently martyred.
- Feast day observed on November 3 (Roman calendar); April 22 (Eastern calendar).
Significant locations
Legend
Birth location: Hnaita (Arbela, present-day Erbil, Iraq)
Death location: Hnaita/Arbela region, Persian Empire (present-day Erbil, Iraq)
Notable location: Site of his episcopal see of Hnaita and his martyrdom (Erbil (Arbela), Kurdistan Region, Iraq)
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Parishes
No parishes dedicated to Saint Acepsimas have been added to the database yet.
Media
No media found for this saint.
Shrines
Dynamic shrines
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No shrines where this saint is the primary saint.
List of shrines
No shrines formally dedicated to Saint Acepsimas meeting the canonical definition of Canon 1230 have been identified in current sources.
Canonization
Servant of God
Saint Acepsimas was not subjected to a modern formal canonization process. His recognition rests on the ancient tradition of the Eastern and Western Churches.
Venerable
Not applicable.
Beatification
Not applicable.
Canonization
Saint Acepsimas is recognized as a martyr-saint through the ancient tradition of the Eastern and Western Churches, including the Roman Martyrology.
Miracles
No specific miracles attributed to Saint Acepsimas have been formally authenticated through a modern canonical process.
Miracle for beatification
Not applicable.
Miracle for canonization
Not applicable.
Other notable miracles
No specific miracles are recorded in available primary sources.
Patronage
No formal patronage has been assigned to Saint Acepsimas.
Feast day
November 3 (Roman Catholic); April 22 (Eastern Orthodox); also commemorated on April 9 in some Eastern calendars.
Veneration
Saint Acepsimas is venerated in the Roman Catholic Church (feast November 3), the Eastern Orthodox Church (feast April 22), the Assyrian Church of the East, and the Chaldean Catholic Church. He is remembered as one of the great Persian martyrs — a figure whose extraordinary life of asceticism, combined with his courage in martyrdom at an extreme old age, made him an exemplar of perseverance in the faith. His story, recorded by Theodoret of Cyrrhus, is one of the most vivid accounts of martyrdom during the long Shapurian persecution.
Prayers
Authored
There are prayers authored by this saint in prayers list yet.
Intercessory
There are no prayers asking for this saint's intercession in prayers list yet.
Books
Written about the saint
- Theodoret of Cyrrhus. Historia Ecclesiastica (Ecclesiastical History), Book II. Primary source.
- Fiey, Jean-Maurice. Saints syriaques. Princeton: Darwin Press, 2004.
- Bedjan, Paul. Acta Martyrum et Sanctorum Syriace. Leipzig: Harrassowitz, 1890–1897. Primary Syriac hagiographic source.
- Acta Sanctorum, November vol. I. Hagiographic collection.
Written by the saint
- No writings by Saint Acepsimas have been identified.
External links
References
- Theodoret of Cyrrhus. Historia Ecclesiastica, Book II.
- Fiey, Jean-Maurice. Saints syriaques. Princeton: Darwin Press, 2004.
- Bedjan, Paul. Acta Martyrum et Sanctorum Syriace. Leipzig: Harrassowitz, 1890–1897.
- Roman Martyrology (Martyrologium Romanum). Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2004.