MARTYRS, THE FORTY: Forty soldiers who suffered martyrdom at Sebaste (the modern Sivas, 165 m. s.w. of Trebizond) in the beginning of the Licinian persecution, probably in 320. Remaining true to their faith, as is stated by Basil the Great, Ephraem, Gregory of Nyssa, and Gaudentius of Brescia, they were exposed naked on the ice throughout a night in the coldest winter, All froze to death except one who recanted, and he died from a warm bath given him to counteract the effects of his exposure. When the pagan guard learned of this, he became a convert to Christianity, and suffered martyrdom by freezing, thus completing the num ber forty. The corpses were burned and the ashes thrown into the water. The later Acta (ASB., Mar., ii. 19-21) records the names of the forty martyrs and gives the details of their sufferings with many embellishments, but the essential portion of the account, including the names, is undoubtedly historically true. Their day is appointed for Mar. 9 or 10.

(O. Zöckler†.)

MARUTHAS, ma-ru'thas: The name of two bishops. 1. Bishop of Maipherkat; d. about 420. Maruthas was sent twice by the Emperor Theodosius II. as ambassador to Jezdegerd I. Ebedjesu mentions among his works a book on martyrdoms, church poetry, and a .translation of the canons of Nicwa (on which of . Synodicon Orientale, ed. J. B. Chabot, Paris, 1903, p. 259) and has his name among the members of that synod. The "Martyrs' Anthem" has been translated by Maclean (East Syrian. Daily Offices, London, 1894, pp. 12-23). His most important work, if it be his, is the " History of the Persian Martyrs " under Sapor II., Jezdegerd I., and perhaps Behnam V., 341-379 A.D. (ed. S. E. Assemani, Acta Sanctorum Martyrum, Rome, 1748; and by P. Bedjan, Ads Martyrum et Sanctorum, ii., Paris, 1891, 57-396, Germ. transl. P. P. Zingerle, Monumentm Syriaca, Vol. i., Innsbruck, 1836). Kmosko doubts whether the work is his; he ascribes to him only the Greek translation, which was used already by Sozomen (Hist. eccl., II., ix.-xiii.; Eng. transl., NPNF, 2 ser., ii. 264-267) for the lives of Simeon bar Saba, Pusai (Pusices), Tarbula and Akebsima (Acepsimas). There are also ascribed to him the "Acts of the Council of Seleucia" of the year 410 (ed. J. Lamy, Louvain, 1868). His commemoration is on the sixth Friday of Moses. His brother Julian is said to have surrounded with a wall the cloister of Mar Babai on Mount Izla, which contained one thousand monks.

E. Nestle.

Bibliography: Sources are Socrates, Hist. Seek, vi. 15, vii. 8, Eng. transl., NPNP, 2 ser., ii. 148-149, 156-157; Sozomen, Hist. eccl., viii. 16, Eng. transl., NPNP, 2 ser., ii. 409; Bar Hebraeus, Chronicon, ii. 45. Consult: J. S. Aswmani, Bibliotheca orientalia, ii. 45, 3 vols., Rome, 1719-1728; W. Wright, Short Hist. of Syriac Literature, p. 44, London, 1894; R. Duval, La Littkratura evriaque, Paris, 1899, 2d ed., pp. 132-133, 428; A. Harnack, in TU, xix., part 2, 1899.

2. Bishop of Takrit; d. 649. He is not to be confounded with Maruthas of Maipherkat (ut sup.). He was born in the diocese of Beth Nuhadre, Persia, studied for some time at Edessa, became bishop of Takrit and the first maphrian, or primate, of the Jacobites (see Jacobites). His life has been written by his successor Deneha. He composed a liturgy (in the Missale of the Maronites, Rome, 1594, p. 172; E. Renaudot, Liturgiarum Orientalium c ol lectio, ii., Paris, 1716, 261); a commentary on the Gospels (two extracts in G. M6singer, Monumenta Syriaaa, ii., Innsbruck, 1878, 32), homilies and hymns.

E. Nestle.

Bibliography: Consult the literature under 1, noting is Wright, p. 137, and in Duval. p. 374.

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