E00298: Eusebius' Martyrs of Palestine includes the story of *Romanos from Caesarea (martyr of Antioch, S00120). Written in 311 in Caesarea (Palestine). Originally written in Greek, its most complete version survives in Syriac.

Eusebius of Caesarea, Martyrs of Palestine, 2.1-5

Summary

A native of Palestine, who ministered as deacon and exorcist in the church of Caesarea, Romanos happened to come to the city of Antioch at the time when the Diocletianic persecution had just been launched there. When he saw the local Christians yielding to pressure and offering sacrifices to pagan gods, Romanos intervened and rebuked them in public. He was immediately arrested and sentenced to death by fire. However, as Romanos was led to the place of his execution, the Emperor Diocletian, who was present in the city at the time, intervened and ordered that, instead of burning, the martyr should be punished by having his tongue cut out. After a certain period of incarceration, the martyr was executed by strangulation on the same day as *Zakchaios from Gadara and *Alpheios from Caesarea (i.e. 17 November 303).

In the longer Syriac recension of this text, after Romanos has his tongue cut out, he miraculously retains his ability to speak and continues to preach and glorify God.

Summary: Sergey Minov