E00768: Eusebius of Caesarea in his Life of Constantine claims that the first Christian emperor honoured the memorial days of the martyrs and encouraged state officials to do so around the empire. Written in Greek in Caesarea Maritima of Palestine, 337/339.

Eusebius of Caesarea, Life of Constantine, 3.1.5-6; 4.23.1

3.1.5-6
οἱ μὲν τοὺς τοῦ θεοῦ μάρτυρας αἰσχίσταις ὑπέβαλλον τιμωρίαις, ὁ δὲ αὐτοὺς μὲν τοὺς ταῦτα δεδρακότας μετῄει σωφρονίζων τῇ πρεπούσῃ τοῦ θεοῦ κολάσει, τῶν δ’ ἁγίων μαρτύρων τοῦ θεοῦ τὰς μνήμας τιμῶν οὐ διελίμπανεν.

'They subjected the martyrs of God to the foulest penalties; he pursued those who had done this, and chastised them with proper punishment from God, while he never ceased honouring the memorials of the holy martyrs of God.'


4.23.1  
καθόλου δὲ τοῖς ὑπὸ τῇ Ῥωμαίων ἀρχῇ δήμοις τε καὶ στρατιωτικοῖς πύλαι πάσης ἀπεκλείοντο εἰδωλολατρίας, θυσίας τε τρόπος ἀπηγορεύετο πᾶς. καὶ τοῖς κατ’ ἔθνος δ’ ἄρχουσιν ὁμοίως τὴν κυριακὴν ἡμέραν νόμος ἐφοίτα γεραίρειν· οἱ δ’ αὐτοὶ νεύματι βασιλέως καὶ μαρτύρων ἡμέρας ἐτίμων καιρούς θ’ ἑορτῶν ἐκκλησίαις ἐδόξαζον, πάντα τε βασιλεῖ καταθυμίως τὰ τοιαῦτα ἐπράττετο.

‘At the municipal and military authorities throughout the Roman Empire, access was blocked to every form of idolatry, and every form of sacrifice was banned. Similarly, a law was addressed to the governors of each province to reverence the Lord's Day. At the Emperor's behest, these same persons both honoured the days of martyrs and dignified festal occasions with public gatherings, and all the things of this kind were carried out according to the emperor’s wish.’

Text: Winkelmann 2008.
Translation: E. Rizos (using Cameron and Hall 1999, 121, 161).