Bademus (also known as Bademe and Vadim) was a rich, noble citizen of Bethlapeta in

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

, who founded a monastery nearby. He and some of his disciples were arrested and Bademus was

martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an externa ...

ed in the year 376; he was subsequently recognized as a saint.

Martyrology

In the thirty-sixth year of

Shapur II Shapur II ( pal, 𐭱𐭧𐭯𐭥𐭧𐭥𐭩 ; New Persian: , ''Šāpur'', 309 – 379), also known as Shapur the Great, was the tenth Sasanian King of Kings (Shahanshah) of Iran. The longest-reigning monarch in Iranian history, he reigne ...

's persecution, Bademus was arrested with seven of his

monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...

s. For months, he lay in chains in a dungeon. At the same time, a Christian lord named Nersan, Prince of Aria, was also imprisoned because he refused to convert to

Zoroastrianism Zoroastrianism is an Iranian religion and one of the world's oldest organized faiths, based on the teachings of the Iranian-speaking prophet Zoroaster. It has a dualistic cosmology of good and evil within the framework of a monotheisti ...

. At first, he appeared resolved to keep the faith, but at the sight of tortures he gave in, and promised to conform. In order to test Nersan's sincerity, King Shapur ordered that Bademus be moved into Nersan's cell, which was actually a chamber in the royal palace. Shapur further instructed Nersan that if he would kill Bademus, his princely rights and dignities would be restored. Nersan accepted the conditions. A sword was placed in his hand, and he advanced so as to plunge it into the abbot's chest. However, he was seized with a sudden terror, so he stopped short, and was unable to lift up his arm to strike for some time. Even so, he attempted to harden himself, and continued, trembling, to aim at Bademus' sides. A combination of fear, shame, remorse, and respect made his strokes weak and unsteady. The martyr's wounds were so numerous that the bystanders are said to have been in admiration of his invincible

patience (or forbearance) is the ability to endure difficult circumstances. Patience may involve perseverance in the face of delay; tolerance of provocation without responding in disrespect/anger; or forbearance when under strain, especially when face ...

. The resolute martyr chided his torturer, saying, "Unhappy Nersan, to what a pitch of

impiety Impiety is a perceived lack of proper respect for something considered sacred. Impiety is often closely associated with sacrilege, though it is not necessarily a physical action. Impiety cannot be associated with a cult, as it implies a larger b ...

do you carry your

apostasy Apostasy (; grc-gre, ἀποστασία , 'a defection or revolt') is the formal disaffiliation from, abandonment of, or renunciation of a religion by a person. It can also be defined within the broader context of embracing an opinion that ...

. With joy I run to meet

death Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...

; but could wish to fall by some other hand than yours: why must you be my

executioner An executioner, also known as a hangman or headsman, is an official who executes a sentence of capital punishment on a legally condemned person. Scope and job The executioner was usually presented with a warrant authorising or order ...

?" It took four strokes for Nersan to successfully separate Bademus' head from his body. A short time after, Nersan committed suicide. The body of Saint Bademus was cast out of the city by the

Sassanids The Sasanian () or Sassanid Empire, officially known as the Empire of Iranians (, ) and also referred to by historians as the Neo-Persian Empire, was the last Iranian empire before the early Muslim conquests of the 7th-8th centuries AD. Named ...

, but was carried away and buried in secret by the Christians. His disciples were released from their chains in 379, after the death of King Shapur.

References

External links

Hagiography from Butler's "Lives of the Saints," 1864

Saint of the Day - Bademus of Persia, Abbot M (AC)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bademus Persian saints People executed by the Sasanian Empire Christians in the Sasanian Empire 376 deaths Converts to Christianity from Zoroastrianism 4th-century Christian saints Year of birth unknown

Martyrology

See also

References

External links