Sozomen, Ecclesiastical History, 2.9-14 Summary Sozomen recounts the persecution of Christians in Persia under Shapur II, estimating a total of 16,000 known martyrs, plus an unknown number of anonymous figures. The martyrs named are as follows: First year of the persecution 2.9 Ousthazades (Syriac: Gushtazhad), palatine eunuch, beheaded. 2.10 Symeones, bishop of Seleucia-Ctesiphon (Symeon/Shimun Bar Sabbae) with 100 of his clerics, including the elderly presbyters Abedehalaas and Anninas. Beheaded. 2.11 Pousikes (Pusai), chief artisan of the king, and his virgin daughter. Beheaded. Second year of the persecution 2.11 Azades, palatine eunuch and friend of king Shapur. Distraught by his death, the king limits the persecution to clerics only. 2.12 Tarboula (Tarbo), the virgin sister of Symeones (Simeon Bar Saba), with other women. They are cut into pieces by a saw. 2.13 Akepsimas (Akebeshma), bishop of Adiabene, and Iakobos, the centenarian presbyter. Aeithalas and Iakobos, presbyters (Aithala and Hapsay?). Azadanes and Abdiesous, deacons (Azadan and Abdishu). The bishops Barbasymes, Paulos, Gaddiabes, Sabinos, Mareas, Mokimos, Ioannes, Hormisdas, Boulidas, Papas, Iakobos, Romas, Maares, Agas, Bochres, Abdas, Abdiesous, Ioannes, Abramios, Abdelas, Sabores, Isaak. Dausas, captive from the village of Zabdaion, who died with the rural bishop (chorepiskopos) Mareabes and about 250 of his clerics. 2.14 Miles, former Persian soldier, who converted and became a bishop. Failing to Christianise a city, he cursed it, and it was later completely destroyed by the king’s army. Miles also went on pilgrimage to Jerusalem and to the monks of Egypt. Sozomen knows Miles' Syriac hagiography. 2.14. 3-4 (3) … οἵων δὲ τοῦτον τὸν ἄνδρα θεσπεσίων καὶ παραδόξων ἔργων δημιουργὸν γενέσθαι παρειλήφαμεν, μαρτυροῦσι Σύρων παῖδες, οἳ τὰς αὐτοῦ πράξεις καὶ τὸν βίον ἀνεγράψαντο. (4) ἐμοὶ δὲ ἀρκεῖν ἡγοῦμαι ταῦτα τέως περὶ αὐτοῦ διεξελθεῖν καὶ τῶν ἐν Περσίδι μαρτυρησάντων ἐπὶ τῆς Σαβώρου βασιλείας. σχολῇ γὰρ ἄν τις ἅπαντα τὰ ἐπ’ αὐτοῖς γεγενημένα ...