Page 98 - Edessa, 'The Blessed City'-01, by J. B. Segal (Oxford, 1970). Chapters 1-3

MARTYRS OF EDESSA 85

Gurya. Licinius had commanded that there should be sacrifices and libations
offered to Zeus; but the persecuted
cried out of their own free will, 'We are Christians', and they were not afraid of persecu-
tion, because those who were persecuted were more numerous than those who were
persecuting. Now Habbib, who was of the village of Tell-She and had been made a
deacon, was both going about to the churches in the villages secretly, and ministering
and reading the Scriptures, and was encouraging and strengthening many by his word,
and admonishing them to stand fast in the truth of their belief, and not to be afraid of the
persecutors.... When the city informers1 had heard ... they went in and made known to
... the Governor that was in the Citadel of Edessa. .. . The Governor made a report to
.
the Emperor, asking for instructions because they had heard that Constantine . . in
Gaul and in Spain was a Christian and did not sacrifice.
Licinius replied that the Christians were to be killed by fire or by sword. At
this time Habbib was at Zeugma. The Governor ordered his family and
fellow-villagers to be arrested and put in gaol. Hearing this, Habbib went to
Edessa and handed himself over to the chief officer of the guard; and al-
though the officer told him that if no one had seen him he should go away
and no harm would befall his family, Habbib insisted on being taken to the
Governor.
The Governor interrogated him. He refused to worship the statue of
Zeus, declaring that he was not afraid of torture, and was scourged. On the
following day he was brought from prison and again threatened with torture if
he refused to worship the statue; he repeated that he was not afraid, since God
forbade the worship of created things. He was hung and combed, but still
refused to sacrifice to idols. After much argument the Governor declared:
I know that all you say is in order that my rage and the anger of my mind may be ex-
cited, and that I should give sentence of death against you speedily. I will not therefore
be hurried on to that which you desire, but I will have patience . . in order that the
.
affliction of your tortures may be increased.
Once more Habbib refused to obey the Emperor. Finally,
the Governor began to give the sentence of death against him; and he called aloud
before his corps of officials, and said, the freemen of the city also hearing him . . ., 'I
command that the strap be cast into his mouth as into the mouth of a murderer, and that
he be burnt by a slow lingering fire so that the torture of his death may be increased.
And [Habbib] went from the presence of the Governor, with the strap thrust into his
mouth, and a multitude of the people of the city was running after him. Now the Chris-
tians were rejoicing that he had not turned aside nor abandoned his state of life,2 and the
pagans were threatening him because he would not sacrifice. And they took him out by
the West gate, (the gate) of Arches,3 over against the cemetery which was built by
'Abshelama, son of Abgar. Now his mother was clad in white, and she was going out
with him.
1 Syriac, sharrire; see p. 20 above.
2 Syriac, qeyama, which has an ecclesiastical connotation; see p. 136 below.
3 Or 'Vaults', see p. 185 below.

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