- Abdas of Susa
Abdas, (also Abda, Abdias, and Audias) was
bishop ofSusa inIran (Socrates also calls him "bishop of Persia" rf|1|socr_7.8). Engaged in a dispute with the local Zoroastrians in AD 420 he burnt down one of their temples, apyramid ofAhura Mazda . King Yazdegerd ordered the bishop to restore and repair the building at his own expense, upon Abdas' refusal the King ordered the destruction of the churches. These events soured the relationship between theChristian church and the Persian government which had previously been good, and caused a wave of persecution against theChristian s in Persia rf|2|theod_5.39. Other than he is supposed to have helpedMaruthas in driving out a demon from Yezdegerd'srf|3|socr_7.8, nothing else certain is known of him. Tradition adds to this that he was one of the first martyred in the persecution (he was clubbed to death), and for this he is considered asaint . His companions in the killings included the priests Hashu and Isaac, the secretary Ephrem, the hypodeacon Papa, the laymen Daduk and Durdan, and Papa, a brother of Abda himself. His feast day is5 September or16 May [citeweb|title=St. Abdas - Catholic Online|url=http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=1067|publisher=Catholic Online|accessdate=2007-09-08] in the Roman Catholic Church, andMarch 31 in the Syrian church.References
* De Lacy & O'Leary; "The Syriac Church and Fathers" (2002)
* Smith, William & Wace, Henry (editors); "A dictionary of christian biography, literature, sects and doctrine", "Abda", (1877). [http://standish.stanford.edu/pdf/00000682.pdf (96MB PDF)]
*Theodoret , [http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf203.html "Ecclesiastical history"] , Blomfield Jackson (translator) (1892)
*Holweck, F. G., "A Biographical Dictionary of the Saints". St. Louis, MO: B. Herder Book Co., 1924.Notes
ent|1|socr_7.8 Socrates Scholasticus, "Ecclesiastical history", [http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf202.ii.x.viii.html vii. 8] ent|2|theod_5.39 Theodoret, [http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf203.iv.viii.v.xxxviii.html v. 39] ent|3|socr_7.8 Socrates Scholasticus, [http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf202.ii.x.viii.html vii. 8]
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