E05670: John Malalas in his Chronographia mentions the martyrdom of *George (soldier and martyr, S00259) and *Babylas (bishop and martyr of Antioch, S00061) under Numerian (r. 283-284). Written in Greek at Antioch (Syria) or Constantinople, in the mid-6th c.

John Malalas, Chronographia, 12.35

Μετὰ δὲ τὴν βασιλείαν Κάρου ἐβασίλευσε Νουμεριανὸς Αὔγουστος ἔτη δύο. ἦν δὲ μακρός, λεπτός, ἁπλόθριξ, μακρόψις, λεπτοχαράκτηρος, εὐπώγων, μιξοπόλιος, εὔρινος, εὐόφθαλμος, μελάγχροος. ἐπὶ δὲ τῆς αὐτοῦ βασιλείας διωγμὸς χριστιανῶν μέγας ἐγένετο· ἐν οἷς ἐμαρτύρησεν ὁ ἅγιος Γεώργιος ὁ Καππάδοξ καὶ ὁ ἅγιος Βαβυλᾶς· ἦν γὰρ ἐπίσκοπος Ἀντιοχείας τῆς μεγάλης. καὶ κατέφθασεν ὁ αὐτὸς βασιλεὺς Νουμεριανὸς ἀπιὼν πολεμῆσαι κατὰ Περσῶν. καὶ θέλων κατασκοπῆσαι τῶν χριστιανῶν τὰ θεῖα μυστήρια ἐβουλήθη εἰσελθεῖν ἐν τῇ ἁγίᾳ ἐκκλησίᾳ, ὅπου συνήγοντο οἱ χριστιανοί, εἰς τὸ θεάσασθαι τί ἐστιν ἃ ποιοῦσιν μυστήρια, ἀκούσας, ὅτι κρυπτόμενοι τελοῦσι τὰς λειτουργίας αὐτῶν οἱ αὐτοὶ Γαλιλαῖοι. καὶ ἐλθὼν πλησίον ἐξαίφνης ὑπηντήθη ὑπὸ τοῦ ἁγίου Βαβυλᾶ· καὶ ἐκώλυσεν αὐτόν, λέγων αὐτῷ, ὅτι· ‘μεμιαμμένος ὑπάρχεις ἐκ τῶν θυσιῶν τῶν εἰδώλων· καὶ οὐ συγχωρῶ σοι ἰδεῖν μυστήρια θεοῦ ζῶντος.’ καὶ ἀγανακτήσας ὁ βασιλεὺς Νουμεριανὸς ἐφόνευσεν αὐτὸν εὐθέως. καὶ ἐξῆλθεν ἀπὸ Ἀντιοχείας καὶ ἐπεστράτευσε κατὰ Περσῶν· ἐν τῷ δὲ συγκροῦσαι αὐτὸν τὸν πόλεμον ἐπετέθησαν αὐτῷ οἱ Πέρσαι, καὶ ἀνεῖλαν τὸ πολὺ πλῆθος τῆς βοηθείας αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἔφυγεν ἐν Κάραις τῇ πόλει· καὶ φοσσεύσαντες οἱ Πέρσαι παρέλαβον αὐτὸν αἰχμάλωτον καὶ εὐθέως ἐφόνευσαν αὐτόν· καὶ ἐκδείραντες τὸ δέρμα αὐτοῦ ἐποίησαν ἀσκὸν καὶ σμυρνιάσαντες ἐφύλαξαν αὐτὸν εἰς ἰδίαν δόξαν· τὸ δὲ λοιπὸν πλῆθος αὐτοῦ κατέκοψαν. τελευτᾷ δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς Νουμεριανὸς ὢν ἐνιαυτῶν λϛʹ.

‘After the reign of Carus, Numerian Augustus reigned for two years. He was tall, slender, with straight hair, a long face, delicate features, a good beard, greying hair, a good nose, good eyes and dark skin. During his reign there was a great persecution of Christians. Among them Saint George the Cappadocian and Saint Babylas were martyred; the latter was the bishop of Antioch the Great. The emperor Numerian arrived there as he was setting out to fight the Persians. Wishing to observe the sacred mysteries of the Christians, he resolved to go into the holy church where the Christians used to gather to see what the mysteries were which they were performing, because he had heard that the Galileans performed their liturgies in secret. When he drew near he was suddenly met by St Babylas, who stopped him, saying to him, "You are still contaminated by the sacrifices you have made to idols and I will not allow you to see the mysteries of the living God". The emperor Numerian was angry with him and put him to death immediately.

Then he left Antioch and began a campaign against the Persians. When he joined battle, the Persians attacked him and destroyed the larger part of his force, and he fled to the city of Carrhae. The Persians besieged him, took him prisoner and killed him immediately. Then they flayed his skin and made it into a bag, which they pickled with myrrh and kept for their own glory; the remainder of his troops they butchered. The emperor Numerian died at the age of 36.’

Text: Thurn 2000. Translation Jeffreys, Jeffreys, and Scott 1986.