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The Passion of St. Symphorosa and Her Seven Sons

Julius Africanus

Section 2

About this work

Author: Julius Africanus

2. The Emperor Adrian said to the holy

‹ Section 1 Section 3 ›

Symphorosa

:

“

Either

sacrifice

thou

along

with

thy

sons

to

the

omnipotent

gods

,

or

else

I

shall

cause

thee

to

be

sacrificed

thyself

,

together

with

thy

sons

.

”

The

blessed

Symphorosa

answered

:

“

And

whence

is

this

great

good

to

me

,

that

I

should

be

deemed

worthy

along

with

my

sons

to

be

offered

as

an

oblation

to

God

?

”

The

Emperor

Adrian

said

:

“

I

shall

cause

thee

to

be

sacrificed

to

my

gods

.

”

The

blessed

Symphorosa

replied

:

“

Thy

gods

cannot

take

me

in

sacrifice

;

but

if

I

am

burned

for

the

name

of

Christ

,

my

God

,

I

shall

rather

consume

those

demons

of

thine

.

”

The

Emperor

Adrian

said

:

“

Choose

thou

one

of

these

alternatives

:

either

sacrifice

to

my

gods

,

or

perish

by

an

evil

death

.

”

The

blessed

Symphorosa

replied

:

“

Thou

thinkest

that

my

mind

can

be

altered

by

some

kind

of

terror

;

whereas

I

long

to

rest

with

my

husband

Getulius

,

whom

thou

didst

put

to

death

for

Christ’s

name

.

”

Then

the

Emperor

Adrian

ordered

her

to

be

led

away

to

the

temple

of

Hercules

,

and

there

first

to

be

beaten

with

blows

on

the

cheek

,

and

afterwards

to

be

suspended

by

the

hair

.

But

when

by

no

argument

and

by

no

terror

could

he

divert

her

from

her

good

resolution

,

he

ordered

her

to

be

thrown

into

the

river

with

a

large

stone

fastened

to

her

neck

.

And

her

brother

Eugenius

,

principal

of

the

district

of

Tiber

,

picked

up

her

body

,

and

buried

it

in

a

suburb

of

the

same

city

.

Notes

5
This response, along with the next interrogation, is wanting in the Colbert manuscript.
6
Sur., Card., and the Colbert Codex give “Zoticus.”