Acepsimas of Hnaita (died October 10, 376) was a bishop, martyr and saint.

Life

Acepsimas was the bishop of Hnaita, residing at Paka in western

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

. He and several companions, including the priest Joseph of Bet-Katoba, who was then 70 years old, and the deacon Aitillaha of Bet-Nuhadra, who was then 66 years old, were arrested by

Shapur II Shapur II ( pal, 𐭱𐭧𐭯𐭥𐭧𐭥𐭩 ; New Persian: , ''Šāpur'', 309 – 379), also known as Shapur the Great, was the tenth Sasanian King of Kings (Shahanshah) of Iran. The longest-reigning monarch in Iranian history, he reigned fo ...

for refusing to worship according to the Zoroastrian faith. Acepsimas was taken in chains to Arbela (modern

Erbil Erbil, also called Hawler (, ar, أربيل, Arbīl; syr, ܐܲܪܒܹܝܠ, Arbel), is the capital and most populated city in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. It lies in the Erbil Governorate. It has an estimated population of around 1,600,000. Hu ...

) before the governor. This judge admired how he could deny the divinity of the sun, which all the East adored. The martyr answered him, expressing his astonishment how men could prefer a creature to the Creator. By the orders of the governor he was laid on the ground with his feet bound, and in that posture barbarously scourged, till his whole body was covered with blood. He was then thrown into prison. Acepsimas endured three years of prison before he was racked and whipped to death on October 10, 376. Joseph was taken to Hdajab where he was tortured until he was stoned to death by

apostate Apostasy (; grc-gre, ἀποστασία , 'a defection or revolt') is the formal disaffiliation from, abandonment of, or renunciation of a religion by a person. It can also be defined within the broader context of embracing an opinion that ...

Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

at Tabaha on the Friday after

Pentecost Pentecost (also called Whit Sunday, Whitsunday or Whitsun) is a Christianity, Christian holiday which takes place on the 50th day (the seventh Sunday) after Easter Sunday. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles in the Ne ...

, 377. Aithalla was stoned to death at Destegerd on November 3, 377. They were the last martyrs of the Christian persecution of Shapur II. The book of their acts, which has survived, is said to be genuine.

Veneration

Acepsimas and his companions are considered

saint In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...

s. The

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

keeps their feast on April 22. The

Greek and Russian Orthodox Churches Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

keep their feast with the full office of the day on November 3. The

Syriac Orthodox Church , native_name_lang = syc , image = St_George_Syriac_orthodox_church_in_Damascus.jpg , imagewidth = 250 , alt = Cathedral of Saint George , caption = Cathedral of Saint George, Damascus ...

keeps their feast on September 2. Aithalla has a feast in the Greek Orthodox Church held in his specific honor on September 1.Saint Aceptismas of Hnaita
Retrieved on 28 Mar 2018 Other individuals who are recognized with this group include the bishop Abdjesus and a deacon named Abdjesu.

References

Sources

*Holweck, F. G. ''A Biographical Dictionary of the Saints''. St. Louis, MO: B. Herder Book Co. 1924. {{DEFAULTSORT:Acepsimas Of Hnaita Year of birth unknown 376 deaths Persian saints Christians in the Sasanian Empire Groups of Christian martyrs of the Roman era 4th-century Christian martyrs People executed by the Sasanian Empire

Life

Veneration

See also

References

Sources