The Holy Martyrs Manuel, Sabel and Ismael, of Persia, at Constantinople (362)
Manuel, Sabel and Ishmael were brothers born in Persia, of a pagan father and a Christian mother. They were educated in the spirit of Christianity and were baptized. As Christians, they were high-ranking officials at the court of King Alamundar. They were sent to Emperor Julian the Apostate to conduct negotiations and to confirm peace between the Persian and Graeco-Roman empires. The apostate emperor arranged a blasphemous celebration in honor of the idols in Chalcedon. At this celebration the emperor, with his noblemen, offered sacrifices to the idols. The Persian emissaries absented themselves from this celebration. The emperor summoned them and ordered that they also take part in the celebration and offer sacrifices to the gods. They declared that they were foreign citizens and that they came as emissaries of the Persian king for the sake of establishing peace between the two empires, and not for any- thing else; that they were Christians and that they considered it unworthy to worship dead idols and to offer them sacrifices. The emperor became enraged and cast them into prison. The next day he brought them out and again began to dispute with them about the Faith, but the holy brothers were adamant and unwavering. They were then bound naked to trees, beaten, and scraped with an iron brush. During their torture they prayed to God with thanksgiving for their tortures: “O sweet Jesus, these torments are sweet for the sake of Thy love!” An angel of God appeared to them, comforted them, and removed every pain from them. Contrary to all rules of international relations, the wicked Emperor Julian finally pronounced judgment that the three brothers be beheaded. When they were beheaded there was a great earthquake. The earth split and received the bodies of the holy martyrs so that the pagans could not burn their bodies, as directed by the emperor. The earth later gave up the bodies of these martyrs so that Christians could find them and honorably bury them. Over their relics there occurred many miracles, seeing which, many pagans converted to the Christian Faith. When the Persian king heard how Julian had inhu- manly given his emissaries over to death, he prepared an army against him. Convinced of victory, Julian set out against the Persian Empire, but he was overwhelmingly defeated and perished in shame, to the joy and laughter of the entire world.
