7 HOLY YOUTHS “SEVEN SLEEPERS” OF EPHESUS

In former times, the Seven Sleeping Youths of Ephesus received truly universal veneration. Now they are among the forgotten saints. The reason for this, in many respects, is the inability of modernity to perceive the special, mysterious semantics of ancient hagiographical narratives. The Church is a Community of Interpreters. It is important for believers to never neglect this calling.

According to the life, the Seven Youths escaped death during the persecution of Emperor Decius (249–251). Then the persecutor of Christians ordered to wall them up alive in the vicinity of Ephesus. This great ancient city was located on the western coast of Asia Minor near modern Izmir and at that time had a huge population. The local Church was founded directly by the Apostles.

Ephesus is mentioned in Acts and the Apocalypse; Paul said goodbye to the Ephesian elders, knowing that he would face bonds and martyrdom (Acts 20:13-38). “Having said this, Paul knelt down and prayed with them all. Then everyone cried a lot, and, falling on his neck, they kissed him, grieving especially at the word he had spoken, that they would no longer see his face” (36-38).

Due to the fact that the event of the life of the Seven Youths took place precisely in Ephesus, it was called upon to gain universal fame for the glory of the Christian mission. According to the life, the young men were walled up, that is, essentially buried alive in a cave. After about two centuries, when the persecution of Christians ceased due to the adoption of Christianity by Emperor Constantine the Great (+337), and several Christian rulers succeeded each other, the Lord granted these young men to return to life. It turned out that their bodies, being immersed in the sleep of death, were outwardly simply asleep. This was a great sign with “the skin man lives in,” an event that only God can understand.

When the seven entered Ephesus, awakening from the sleep of death, paganism no longer existed. There were no traces of idols, visible Christian piety was everywhere. Convinced of this, the young men praised God. Seeing what had happened, the people around them were amazed at the divine glory. Soon they rested in God.

The names of the Seven Youths of Ephesus are: Maximilian, Iamblicus, Martinian, John, Dionisius, Exacustodianus (Constantine) and Antoninus. It is obvious that many believers, without knowing it, celebrate their name day on this day. Tradition calls the seven young men “The Sleepless Youths of Ephesus.” In Orthodox liturgical services, a special prayer in their honor has been preserved, read over those suffering from insomnia.

All of us, people of the last times, are destined to be the seven youths of Ephesus in reverse. All of us living here, in the words of the title of Jean-Paul Sartre’s novel, have reached the “Age of Maturity.” The world has grown old in evil. Perhaps the Universe has never experienced such an evil time. Through the intercession of the Seven Youths of Ephesus, may the Lord grant us the strength to remain spiritually awake amid the rapid changes taking place around us.

The story of the “resurrection of the youths” has been preserved in different languages ​​among different peoples. Moreover, it became part of the Koran for Muslims.

Moreover, according to some versions of the lives of the seven youths in Arabic, their dog was with the youths. She, too, seemed to be in a mortal sleep, and then came to life. This is the smile of God in the lives of the saints for inconsolable pet owners who have lost their small friends.