MARTYRS GURIAS, SAMONAS AND HABIBUS OF EDESSA

The memory of the holy martyrs Gurias, Samonas and Habibus is a very rare case in the history of ancient Christian holiness when saints who suffered during various persecutions are venerated jointly. The reason for this is their communication during life, and the manifestation by them, already from Heavenly Glory in the Kingdom of the Father, of a clear sign here on earth among Christians who remember them.

Gurias and Samonas were Christian ascetics and preachers. Not wanting to participate in the life of the huge pagan city that Edessa was then, they settled in its environs. There they were discovered by pagans, and, after trials and much torture, they were beheaded for refusing to sacrifice to the pagan gods and confessing faith in Christ. The tradition of the Church has preserved the prayer that the saints said before their birth into Heaven.

“Keep in us the unquenchable lamp of Your commandments,” the saints asked in their suffering. These words are evidence of the faith of the Ancient Church that the commandments are observed by man solely by the power of divine grace. After all, a considerable number of Christians, and even former confessors of the faith, renounced during trials. The greatest gift from above was the power to maintain faith until the last breath. This grace in the language of virtue and theology is called perseverance.

Habibus was a deacon of the Church of Edessa. During the persecution of Christians by the Roman emperor Maximian Galerius (293–311), he continued his ministry and, moving from house to house, preached to strengthen Christians during the persecution. In ancient times, deacons evangelized, could bless and baptize, and brought the Holy Gifts. Deacons were usually elected to the episcopate. During that persecution, the Lord saved Abib from destruction. It might have seemed to many that a successful future awaited him, but hardly anyone could have imagined what this mysticism of light and fire would be like.

When, a few years later, under Emperor Licinius (308–324), Christians were again persecuted, Habibus was arrested. However, he soon regained his freedom and had the opportunity to “wait out” the coming evil time in safety. The ancient canons of the Church allowed Christians to behave in this way, and even recommended such behavior in the event of persecution. However, being overwhelmed by the desire to publicly confess the name of Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:3), Aviv himself appeared to the local ruler and was subjected to persuasion, torture, and torment. On November 15 (28), 322, that is, exactly 1701 years ago, Habibus was burned alive. His remains were secretly placed by Christians where Guras and Samonas had previously been buried.

After some time, when the persecution of Christians throughout the Roman Empire ceased, a certain mercenary warrior serving in Edessa came into the confidence of one of the local pious Christians, named Euphemia. Promising her faith and fidelity, he took her as his wife. To confirm his intentions, he apparently took an oath at the tomb of Saints Gurias, Samonas and Habibus. This is exactly how one can connect this everyday incident at that time with the occurrence of extraordinary circumstances associated with the names of the three martyrs. Upon the warrior’s return home, it turned out that he already had another wife, so the Christian woman he brought was enslaved.

Edessa was the city of the Image of Christ the Savior Not Made by Hands, the place of many martyrs and saints. But remembering the trampled oath, during her many sufferings, being betrayed and sold by friends and enemies, Euphemia called upon the intercession of Gurias, Samonas and Habibus. She eventually managed to escape and return home to Edessa. Believing that the fugitive had died, the mercenary again, out of duty, appeared in those places, but was recognized and executed for his discovered crimes.

“Broken Testaments,” Milan Kundera (1929–2023) once titled his famous collection of essays. The broken covenant at the relics of the saints unexpectedly turned into a seal of their joint commemoration, and they themselves became intercessors for the faith and fidelity of believers and patrons of marriages.