Saint Thraseas (? – 170) was a martyr under the reign of Emperor

Marcus Aurelius Marcus Aurelius Antoninus ( ; ; 26 April 121 – 17 March 180) was Roman emperor from 161 to 180 and a Stoicism, Stoic philosopher. He was a member of the Nerva–Antonine dynasty, the last of the rulers later known as the Five Good Emperors ...

. Prior to his death he served as Bishop of Eumenia,

Phrygia In classical antiquity, Phrygia ( ; , ''Phrygía'') was a kingdom in the west-central part of Anatolia, in what is now Asian Turkey, centered on the Sangarios River. Stories of the heroic age of Greek mythology tell of several legendary Ph ...

, in Asia Minor.

Background

Eumenia was a titular see of Phrygia Pacatiana in

Asia Minor Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...

. The city was founded by

Attalus II Philadelphus Attalus II Philadelphus (Greek: Ἄτταλος ὁ Φιλάδελφος, ''Attalos II Philadelphos'', which means "Attalus the brother-loving"; 220–138 BC) was a ruler of the Attalid kingdom of Pergamon and the founder of the city of Att ...

(159–138 B.C.) at the sources of the Cludrus, near the Glaucus, and named after his brother Eumenes. Numerous inscriptions and many coins remain to show that Eumenia was an important and prosperous city under Roman rule. As early as the third century its population was in great part Christian, and it seems to have suffered much during the persecution of

Diocletian Diocletian ( ; ; ; 242/245 – 311/312), nicknamed Jovius, was Roman emperor from 284 until his abdication in 305. He was born Diocles to a family of low status in the Roman province of Dalmatia (Roman province), Dalmatia. As with other Illyri ...

.Pétridès, Sophrone. "Eumenia." ''The Catholic Encyclopedia''. Vol. 5. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1909. 17 Jan. 2014
/ref>

History

In a synodal letter written by

Polycrates of Ephesus Polycrates of Ephesus (; ; fl. c. 130 – 196) was an Early Christian bishop at Ephesus. Polycrates convened a synod to establish Quartodecimanism as the official position on Easter. His letter was written between 186 and 195 AD. Quartodeciman ...

about the year 190, he speaks of seven of his relatives who had been bishops before him. Besides these he mentions

Polycarp Polycarp (; , ''Polýkarpos''; ; AD 69 155) was a Christian Metropolis of Smyrna, bishop of Smyrna. According to the ''Martyrdom of Polycarp'', he died a martyr, bound and burned at the stake, then stabbed when the fire failed to consume his bo ...

and

Papirius of Smyrna Papirius of Smyrna (2nd century) was the successor of Polycarp as the bishop of Smyrna. Little information is known about him. He was mentioned by Polycrates of Ephesus, as Papirius defended quartodecimanism Quartodecimanism (from the Vulgate Lati ...

, Thraseas of Eumenea, Sagaris of Laodicea and Melito of Sardes (Eusebius, "Hist. Eccles.", v, 24, 2 sq.)Dunin-Borkowski, Stanislaus de. "Hierarchy of the Early Church." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 7. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 17 Jan. 2014
/ref> Thraseas was a Quartodeciman Christian leader, in Asia Minor in the second century.

Quartodecimans Quartodecimanism (from the Vulgate Latin ''quarta decima'' in Leviticus 23:5, meaning fourteenth) is the name given to the practice of commemorating the death of Christ on the day of Passover, the 14th of Nisan according to biblical dating, on wha ...

kept

Passover Passover, also called Pesach (; ), is a major Jewish holidays, Jewish holiday and one of the Three Pilgrimage Festivals. It celebrates the Exodus of the Israelites from slavery in Biblical Egypt, Egypt. According to the Book of Exodus, God in ...

on the 14th of Ahib (also known as

Nisan Nisan (or Nissan; from ) in the Babylonian and Hebrew calendars is the month of the barley ripening and first month of spring. The name of the month is an Akkadian language borrowing, although it ultimately originates in Sumerian ''nisag' ...

), in spite of the preferences of Roman Bishops who preferred a Sunday date which ultimately became

Easter Sunday Easter, also called Pascha (Aramaic: פַּסְחָא , ''paskha''; Greek language, Greek: πάσχα, ''páskha'') or Resurrection Sunday, is a Christian festival and cultural holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, de ...

Eusebius Eusebius of Caesarea (30 May AD 339), also known as Eusebius Pamphilius, was a historian of Christianity, exegete, and Christian polemicist from the Roman province of Syria Palaestina. In about AD 314 he became the bishop of Caesarea Maritima. ...

recorded that around 195 A.D. Polycrates of Ephesus, wrote a letter to

Pope Victor I Pope Victor I (died 199) was a Roman African prelate of the Catholic Church who served as the Bishop of Rome in the late second century. The dates of his tenure are uncertain, but one source states he became pope in 189 and gives the year of h ...

regarding the dating of Easter. In the letter, Thraseas is mentioned chronologically between Polycarp (155) and Sagaris (under Sergius Paulus, 166–67). The date of Thraseas is therefore about 160.Chapman, John. "Montanists." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 10. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. 17 Jan. 2014
/ref> Polycrates mentions that Thraseas was among those who observed the Passover on the date that was handed down from scriptures and the

Apostle John John the Apostle (; ; ), also known as Saint John the Beloved and, in Eastern Orthodox Christianity, Saint John the Theologian, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus according to the New Testament. Generally listed as the youngest apostle, he ...

, and thus, that he did not change to Sunday when some in Rome did. Eusebius also wrote that

Apollonius of Ephesus Apollonius of Ephesus (; fl. 180–210) was an anti-Montanist Greek ecclesiastical writer, probably from Asia Minor. He was thoroughly acquainted with the Christian history of Ephesus and the doings of the Phrygian Montanists. The unknown aut ...

spoke in his work of Zoticus, who had tried to exorcise

Maximilla Maximilla (Greek: Μαξιμίλλα) was a prophetess and an early advocate of Montanism, a heretical Christian sect founded in the third century A.D. by Montanus. Some scholars believe that Maximilla and Priscilla, another prophet, were actually ...

, but had been prevented by Themison; and of the martyr-Bishop Thraseas, another adversary of

Montanism Montanism (), known by its adherents as the New Revelation, was an History of Christianity#Early Christianity (c. 31/33–324), early Christian movement of the Christianity in the 2nd century, mid-to-late 2nd century, later referred to by the n ...

.Grey, Francis. "Apollonius of Ephesus." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 1. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907. 17 Jan. 2014
/ref> Although he was from Eumenia, Thraseas was, according to Polycrates and

Jerome Jerome (; ; ; – 30 September 420), also known as Jerome of Stridon, was an early Christian presbyter, priest, Confessor of the Faith, confessor, theologian, translator, and historian; he is commonly known as Saint Jerome. He is best known ...

, martyred in Smyrna. ''The Life of Polycarp'', attributed to St. Pionius, lists Thraseas of Eumenia, as a martyr who was buried at Smyrna. Mention is made of a burial at the cemetery in Smyrna to the cemetery in front of the Ephesian Royal gate, that took place near where recently a myrtle tree sprung up after the burial of the body of Thraseas the martyr.Pionius, Life of Polycarp, Chapter 20. Translated by J. B. Lightfoot, The Apostolic Fathers, vol. 3.2, 1889, pp. 488–506

References

{{authority control Saints from Roman Anatolia 2nd-century Christian martyrs 2nd-century bishops in Roman Anatolia 170 deaths Year of birth unknown

Background

History

See also

References