Dear Jim, Please could you mail me a full reference for Butler?
Freddi
> > Can anyone explain who did poor James in? It seems an odd time for
> such a
> > bloody-minded martyrdom.
> >
> > Phyllis
>
> Phyllis,
> According to Butler, James was both a Christian and a Persian noble
> much favoured by King Isdegerdes I, who was very favourably disposed
> towards Christians, in general, until a bishop named Abdas got a bit
> carried away and burnt a pagan temple. Because Abdas refused to
> rebuild the temple, Isdegerdes began persecuting Christians, and
> rather than lose his position at the royal court, James renounced his
> faith. Upon Isdegerdes death, however, James's Christian mother and
> wife managed to convince him to return to the Christian faith,
> whereupon Isdegerdes' son and successor, Vararanes V, reproached him
> with ingratitude. James refused to abjur his faith again, and
> Vararanes threatened him with a slow and lingering death. James
> retorted: "Any kind of death is no more than a sleep; 'May my soul
> die the death of the just'."
> "Death," said the tyrant, "is not a sleep: it is a terror to lords
> and kings."
> James answered: "It indeed terrifies kings, and all others who
> contemn God; because 'the hope of the wicked shall perish' (Prov.
> 2:28)"
> The king then took him up on these words, and said sharply: "Do you
> then call us wicked men, O idle race, who neither worship God, nor
> the sun, moon, fire, or water, the illustrious offspring of the
> gods?"
> "I accuse you not," replied James,"but I say that you give the
> incommunicable name of God to creatures."
> The king was so incensed by this reply that he brought together all
> the ministers and judges of his kingdom to think up a new and
> particularly horrible and cruel method of execution. And voila.
> Vararanes V apparently martyred a few Christians - Butler also
> mentions St. Mahorsapor(!!) - before being defeated by Theodosius the
> Younger in 427, who forced him to stop his persecutions.
> Cheers,
> Jim Bugslag
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