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Narrative of St Sophia

tr. Lewis, 1900

Chapter 10

The Memoirs of the noble women who were crowned in their martyrdom for our Lord, of Pistis, and of Elpis, and of Agape, and of their mother Sophia in the city of Rome.

By the grace of God was the gospel sown abroad under the heaven throughout all the earth, by Jesus Christ the Saviour of all men; that every man might believe in God the Almighty: and in Jesus the Christ the Only Son, and in the Living and Holy Spirit, and that every man might be drawn away from the worship of idols, and from vain error; and that they might receive help for their souls by the baptism of holiness for the remission of sins.

And when this word was preached by the Apostles, and by all the Evangelists, all regions ran joyfully and kissed the feet of the Apostles in faith. For many and noble were the doctrines of the truth and by means of them we have all come to the right way.

And there was a certain woman of a great family of the house of Sallustius; and her name was Sophia. This woman went up to the city of Rome, with her three beautiful virgin-daughters; and they hoped to receive the sign of the Christ our Redeemer. And her daughters had been reared in wisdom and in the grace of God. And their mother rejoiced greatly and gave glory to God, when she found His love¹ in the heart of her daughters. And she prayed to her Lord that He would send help to His handmaidens. And whilst these virgins were strengthened in the fear of God, and were constant in prayer and in vigil, it was known by the mind of all men that they were shewing the life of the martyrs and of the Apostles in the years of girlhood. For they went according to their custom on the first day of the week to pray in the house of God. And of a sudden Satan disturbed the heart of Antiochus (one) of the rulers of the city; and he said in the presence of the Emperor Hadrian, “A certain woman and her three daughters—whence they are we know not—are teaching the women every day to worship one God, and His Son Jesus the Christ, and that we should become strangers to our wives: for they touch neither food nor drink, and they do not go away from these virgins: and thus they are separated, that they may even wipe out the praise of our gods from the earth.”

And when the Emperor Hadrian heard these things he sent the guards after them; and they laid hold on them, and brought them to the palace of the Emperor. And these faithful women, the virgins of the Christ, went joyfully with their mother, holding each other’s hands, and when they had arrived at the door of the palace, all of them made the sign of the cross on their breasts. And these virgins were so beautiful that none of the onlookers was able to come near them and look on their faces; but they only contemplated (them) as in a mirror. And the grace of God was also poured out upon the virgins.

And when they had entered the palace and stood before the Emperor, he raised his eyes to look at them and at the loveliness of their faces, because he wondered at the glory of their beauty, and at that moment he was unable to interrogate them. But after a little while he came to himself, and he replied and said to their mother, “Who art thou, O woman? and whence comest thou? that thou hast thus disturbed all Rome? for thou hast denied the gods, the governors of the whole world. And what is thy name, tell us?”

She returned an answer and said, “I am a Christian.”

The Emperor said, “I did not ask thee this, but ‘What is thy name?’”

And the handmaiden of God returned an answer in truth, “The people who gave me birth called my name Sophia; but the full name is ‘I am a Christian,’ of the stock of the chiefs and nobles of the city of Italy, but the mercy of the Christ has redeemed me and my daughters and brought us to the city of Rome, that I may present before Him the fruits which His grace has given me, and may present them with joy an offering to the Lord.”

And when the Emperor heard these things he commanded that she and her daughters should be with one of the chiefs until there should be an interrogation. And the faithful woman Sophia gave counsel to her noble daughters, saying, “Hearken to your mother, my beloved daughters, I reared you (in what concerns) your stature, and I taught you all letters. Now the hope for which ye look, and the grace which ye love, calls you to Him. Look not at the childishness of your years, nor at the superb beauty of your faces. Clothe your mind with heavenly armour, and be strong with the breastplate of the Spirit, and place a crown upon your mother by your endurance. Withstand the persecutors. And for your sakes, my beloved ones, my soul may be purified from iniquity. For if ye go before me, and stand in the presence of the Heavenly King, it will be known to all men in the kingdom of heaven, and those who please God will present me for your sakes, and I shall be with you in the life that never passes away. My beloved daughters, the hidden darlings of the foster-mother, and the fair nestlings of my womb, have pity on your mother who has endured pains because of you: and be strong and firm before the tortures of the persecutor. Confess one God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Living and Holy Spirit, for He will repay you with the crowns of endurance.

“Hearken to me and wonder. Woe is me!”

And when the mother had sowed these sayings in her daughters, they were strengthened by the Holy Spirit, and were the more filled with wisdom. And the one encouraged the other and filled the other with wisdom. And every hour they made (the sign of) the cross of the Christ on the breasts and between the eyes; and they were constant in prayer and intercession, and were longing to receive the crown of victory. And they said to their mother in concert, “O mistress of daughters, the blessed mother of us all, let not thy mind doubt concerning the faith of thine offspring². But offer joyfully the children of thy womb to God. And thou shalt behold our endurance and our confession. For the Christ our Redeemer, the teaching of whose scriptures is in our minds, He who beholds from Heaven, adorns us with wisdom and with faith; and gives us a response in the presence of the king in judgment.” And when their mother had heard the readiness of their heart she said, “I gave birth to you three, my beloved daughters, listen to the voice of my words: The life of this world is for a short time. May the most loving of mothers strengthen your minds a little, may the kingdom of heaven be yours! and I will follow you joyfully in the pride of my mind, and with the praises of my soul, and I will offer to God the perfect sacrifice of your victory.”

And after three days the Emperor commanded that they should bring them. And when these virgins went their mother also followed them joyfully. And when they entered the palace, and stood before the judgment-seat of the Emperor, he answered and said to the three noble sisters, “O lovely girls! lo! I see your beauty, and I contemplate in the likeness of your faces that it is not approaching to the nature of man, but it is another glory, which is in its light like the brilliance of the sun. I also see your stature, that ye are of very tender years. Therefore I counsel you to have mercy on the old age of your mother and on the desirable vision of your appearance. Be persuaded by me, as by a father, and sacrifice to our lords, the gods, and if ye hearken to my word, and offer sacrifices to the gods, ye shall be called the daughters of the king. Ye shall find bliss and luxury: and ye shall have fame like the daughters of the king. For the Eparchs shall enter my presence, the governors and the chiefs, all the senate shall be summoned, and all the armies of my dominion, and a deed of adoption shall be signed according to the law.

“But if ye will not submit to me, nor hearken to my word, ye shall be delivered up to bitter torments. I will fling the beauty of your faces, and the pride of your limbs to the dogs. Therefore submit to my words before all these things come to pass. For because ye are of a distinguished race, for this reason ye shall be called the daughters of the king.”

The glorious virgins replied and said to the Emperor with one voice, “Thy promises are very vain, and they are not necessary to the handmaidens of God. We know Him who has brought us up, God the King of the worlds, the Maker of heaven and of earth, of the seas, and of the depths below, that He will receive us as beloved children. For the armour of our conscience is formed from our youth and our mind is made strong in hope. There is a power within us to withstand against thy devices, and to conquer all thy interrogations, and we shall enter joyfully on the road to the skies³, and the door of heaven will be opened before us; and we shall enter joyfully and shall worship the King, the Christ. Produce therefore all thy tortures, that by the trial of our endurance the long-suffering of God, and of Jesus the Christ, our Redeemer, may be made known; for He will help His handmaidens in the conflict.” Then the Emperor was filled with rage, and called Sophia, the mother of the maidens, and said to her, “What are your daughters called? tell me their names, and tell me their ages.”

And their mother answered, saying, “The name of my eldest daughter is Pistis, twelve years old. And the name of the second is Elpis, ten years old. And the name of my youngest daughter is Agape, seven years old. And these names being interpreted in Aramaic, are Faith, and Hope, and Love. And the name of their mother is Sophia; which being interpreted, is Wisdom.” And the Emperor answered, saying to Pistis, who was the eldest of the⁴ sisters, “Sacrifice to the goddess Artemis, whose interpretation is Beltis; and contemplate her appearance, for she is the patroness of Beauty.” And Pistis (Faith) answered, saying, “O the blindness of man’s mind! Shall we forsake the God who made everything by His word? and Jesus the Christ our Redeemer? And shall we worship senseless idols, and speechless stones?”

And when the Emperor heard these things, he commanded that they should strip her of her clothes, and should scourge her with rods until she should sacrifice. And when twelve men scourged her by turns, not a scar was found on her body. And when the Emperor saw that no stripes were visible on her body he commanded them to cut off the fountains of her milk with the sword. But the great crowd who were standing for the spectacle saw the tender age and the beauty of the maiden who received these tortures; and they all wailed, weeping and saying, “These maidens have been judged iniquitously. The punishments of the Emperor are bitter, and his commandments are unjust.” And when the breasts of the maiden had been cut off, they threw them on the ground before her eyes. But the places from which they had been cut off flowed with milk instead of with blood. And when all the crowd of the Romans saw these wonders, they gave glory to God. And the virgin of the Christ said to him, “O judge, thy tortures are very slight, and my limbs do not feel thy scourges. And even the members which have been cut off from me, instead of running with blood, are fountains that flow with milk. And I pray much that by means of the devices of thy imaginings I may be confirmed in the knowledge of the Christ. Hearken therefore, O unjust man, O wicked disciple of Satan, for if thou hast commanded that they should disfigure even the image of my face, not even thus will I be frightened, for thou wilt be punished for all these things in the day of judgment. But I stand for the truth of my faith, and I do not deny my Lord.”

Then the Emperor commanded, and they brought a gridiron of iron, and they kindled a fire below it, until it was all aflame. And they brought the faithful one, and threw her on the top of the gridiron. And the noble virgin was like a ship on a calm sea, which the storms do not touch. And she prayed with a loud voice, saying, “O Lord the Christ! look upon the low estate of Thy handmaiden, and give me the victory over the fiery flame. And preserve me spotless before Thee; may I resist the devices of the persecutor.”

And when three days had passed away, whilst the girl was lying on the top of the fire (and she never ceased praying), the Emperor commanded that the gridiron should be taken away, and that a frying-pan should be set up instead of it, and that they should throw oil and wax, and pitch into the frying-pan. And when they were thrown together into the frying-pan, it⁵ boiled and flamed with the burning of the fire. But the noble woman looked [up] to heaven, and cried to Jesus the Son of God, and before the king had commanded she threw herself into the midst of the frying-pan; and immediately the flame was quieted, and the fire was quenched; and the frying-pan froze like ice; and the handmaiden of God was glad there, and despised the devices of them all. For God helped His handmaiden. And when the Emperor saw that she had not died with all these tortures, and was not persuaded to sacrifice, he was much grieved, and meditated by what means he should destroy her. And he thought that he would slay her with the sword. And when she had heard that the king had commanded thus, she besought her mother joyfully to pray without ceasing, that the commandment of the Emperor might be speedily fulfilled. And the noble woman said to her sisters, “O beloved ones! daughters of the same womb, beloved of a faithful mother! ye see Him whom our souls have confessed, and before whom we must stand. Be strong therefore in witnessing for our Redeemer. For we have been brought up in the doctrine, and one mother has given birth to us all. And lo! she rejoices in the endurance of her offspring to-day, and she prays that she may behold our victory. Therefore do not let us make God angry, nor vex the love of our mother, who has borne pain and distress, and pangs and groanings for us one by one, and we have sucked the same milk from [her] sacred breasts. And we have learned wisdom and the discipline of God. And behold! by grace we are drawing near to inherit eternal life. And I am going in a beautiful path; and I pray that ye may come beside me by the same path, in joy and in perfect love. But henceforth, O my sisters, do ye walk in the steps of your sister, that together we may receive the promises of the Only Begotten, in the kingdom of heaven.”

And when she had finished speaking, the daughter embraced her mother, and kissed her reverently, and she besought her to offer prayer on her behalf: and she did likewise to her sisters. And she made herself ready for the slaughter; and stretched out her neck to the sword. And her mother and her sisters encouraged her, saying, “O sister of her mother, and mistress of her sisters! approach joyfully to the consummation and be not afraid of the sword. Go fearlessly on the path of life, and we will walk in thy steps. We will fearlessly withstand the persecutor; and we shall overcome all his devices. We will come and precede thee on the road to the skies. Be praying for us, O our sister. The road on which thou hast gone is greatly to be desired. Thy Lord in heaven waits for thee. Remember us also in the kingdom of heaven, us thy sisters Elpis and Agape. Pray that we may see thee speedily.”

And again her mother said to her, “I gave thee birth, my daughter, and thou wast reared upon the milk of my breasts; and I endured many distresses for thy sake. Go joyfully on the everlasting road. Go, and see the heavenly light, and prepare a bright place for thy mother, and remember her who bare thee, O my daughter!”

And when the sword was about to fall upon the neck of the maiden, she stretched out her holy hands to heaven, and prayed with a loud voice, saying, “Glory be to Thee, O Lord Jesus the Christ, that Thou hast deemed Thy little handmaiden worthy to withstand in the conflict of the noble ones. I beseech of Thee, O Lord, remember Thy servants and Thy handmaidens, and the little ones, and the great ones, the rich and the poor. Remember, also Thy handmaiden, my blessed mother, and my beloved sisters who worship Thee. Remember me also, O Lord, Thine afflicted and sinful handmaiden, and receive my soul into Thy presence because I have confessed Thy cross. But do not forgive the wicked man, the persecutor, the unjust Emperor. But may he be requited, with indignation and with ruin, and with Thy rage and with fire in this world; and receive the spirit of Thy handmaiden in peace.” And when she had finished speaking, she stretched out her neck, and received the sword with joy. And she wore the crown of the victors. And her mother came joyfully, and embraced the body of the noble woman, and kissed her, and she praised God with a joyful heart.

But the Emperor Hadrian sent for her second sister, whose name was Elpis. And he counselled her, saying, “My daughter, be persuaded by me as by thy father, and worship the goddess Artemis; and remain alive and do not die.”

And the noble woman, Elpis, answered, saying, “Thou knowest, O Emperor, that thy counsels are very useless, and they do not touch the handmaid of God. For behold! thou hast learnt by the interrogation that I am the sister of the blessed Pistis. And we have sucked the same milk. And we had the same training in doctrine. And we are ready to go on the one road, and henceforth do not deceive thyself with many words, but do what thou hast willed to do. For I have hoped in God, and He is the stay of my soul, and from Him is the crown of my victory; and my mind will never swerve from beside Him, and to Him my thoughts reach.”

And when the Emperor had heard these things, and had seen that he was gaining nothing, he commanded them to strip the girl of her clothes, and to scourge her with ox-hides. And those who scourged her were changed to the number of ten men; and those men striking her became tired.

And her mother stood, saying, “Lord Jesus the Christ! give patience to thy handmaiden as to her elder sister.” And when her mother had said these things, Elpis said with a loud voice, “O Lord God! before Thee I pour out my tears. Give me patience, that I may receive the crown of my victory.” And to the Emperor she said, “O most wicked of men! what dost thou meditate concerning me? Produce thy tortures quickly, and by the very proof thou shalt see who is helping me.”

But the Emperor meditated cunningly in a great rage as to how he should destroy her; and he commanded that she should be cast upon burning coals. But when she was thrown upon the fire, she walked on the top of it. But the Emperor did not see those who were helping the girl. And she raised her voice and said, “O Lord! turn not Thy face away from Thy handmaiden, but grant me that I may be made perfect before Thee in the endurance of my mind; and may the unjust Emperor be requited with ruin, and with the worm that never fails.”

But when the Emperor had heard these things, he commanded that they should hang her on a tree, and destroy her with combs. And whilst the noble Elpis was being combed, the flesh from her sacred limbs fell away, and was fragrant and pleasant, as (with) choice scent, and she stood with a cheerful countenance. And the blessed one laughed and said, “O wicked, bad man! as it appears to me as if on thee the combs are descending, for I do not feel them; nor will I be persuaded to sacrifice.” And he commanded again that a cauldron should be put on the fire, and should be filled with wax and pitch and fat and resin, and that they should kindle fire beneath it; and should throw the girl into it. And when the cauldron flamed from the kindling of the fire, drops from it were leaping, and they carried the maiden that they might throw her into it. And at that moment the copper was melted, and it fell as wax is melted before the fire. And it burnt up all the unbelievers who were standing round. And the Emperor was not softened with all these things, but when all his devices were overcome, he commanded that she also should die by the sword, like her sister. And when the girl heard that the decree was issued, she ran to her mother and saluted her, saying, “O blessed mother, peace be to thee! and be mindful of thy daughter Elpis.” She ran again to the body of her holy sister and embraced and kissed her. And she approached again to her youngest sister, and kissed her and embraced her, saying, “My darling sister, and daughter of my beloved mother, come beside us speedily. For I also am going on the road to eternity. My darling sister and daughter of the same womb, and beloved of a believing mother, do not fear the tortures of the unjust man. For He who has given us freedom, He will send us help. He is the Father of the truth. He is the true Lord.” And when she had said these things, she said again in prayer, “O Lord God, hearken unto Thy handmaiden in joy and in peace.” And her mother had said in the joy of her heart and in pride about the victory of the girl, “My darling sweet daughter Elpis, go with joy on the road to eternity, and be mindful of thy mother, for I gave thee birth.” And when her mother had finished saying these things to her, the blessed one bent her neck, and went away by the death of the sword.

But her mother rejoiced while she contemplated the crowns of her daughters, and she kissed their⁶ corpses and said, “I have sent acceptable heralds before me to the House of Life.”

And she turned towards her youngest daughter, saying, “Agape, my daughter, the most beloved of her sisters⁷, be strong and vigorous. Behold I see two crowns prepared for thy sisters, and on the head of them both the crown of thy childhood appears, and I am hoping to go on the road of thy victory. And henceforth be thou strong in the name of our Lord Jesus the Christ.”

Then the tyrant called the girl Agape, and interrogated her with words. And the noble woman returned an answer, saying, “O wicked man and tyrant! dost thou not know that I am the sister of these two who withstood thee in the struggle, and received the faith and the crown of victory? For one father and one mother gave birth to the three; and we sucked one milk equally. We were educated in letters and in wisdom, and we increased in glorious knowledge. And because of this it is fitting that we should conquer together in the struggle.” And when the mother had heard these things she said, “Thou hast well spoken, my daughter. Be strong, and resist with vigour. And gird thy loins with the confession of the Most High.” And when the Emperor⁸ had heard these things, he was filled with a great rage. And he roared like a lion for the prey. And he was altogether merciless. And he commanded that she should be stretched out with rods, and that the combs should be brought close to her body, that while they were dripping and tearing from all sides the limbs of the girl should be torn; but the damsel did not feel the combs, but her eyes were strained towards heaven.

And he commanded again that after the combs they should scourge her with rods. And whilst the girl was being beaten⁹, she said, “O tyrant Emperor, why dost thou tire (thyself) uselessly? for I do not feel thy tortures.” And when the Emperor heard (this) he commanded them to loose her, and prepare a fiery furnace, that she might be flung into it. And when the furnace had been kindled for three days, it glowed more than the light of brass by its flame. And when the Emperor came to the furnace, and saw that it was kindled, he commanded them to bring the girl. And she came and stood before him, and he answered and said to her, “I request thee to say one sentence, ‘Great is the goddess Artemis.’ And when thou shalt have thus spoken, thou shalt speedily escape from this distress.”

The noble one answered and said, “O senseless fool and ignorant dunce! what dost thou chatter about? for because thou hast cut off thy hope from life dost thou make these promises?” And the Emperor, in a great rage, commanded that she should be flung into the fiery furnace. And before they had seized her, she entered the furnace joyfully. And in that very hour the fire flew out from the furnace to the length and the breadth of sixty cubits; and the worshippers of idols, six thousand, died of the flames. But the faithful one walked inside the furnace, and praised God, saying, “I extol Thee, O Lord! the preserver and saviour of Thy¹⁰ handmaidens, take pity upon me, according to Thy mercy, and deliver me from the hand of the slayer.” And when the Emperor heard these things, he was again filled with a great rage. But the flame escaped from the furnace, and burnt up his body, and flung him upon the earth; and the life hardly remained in him; and it was dashed about greatly by the burning. And he sent the guards after the noble woman, that they might bring her again before him. And when they arrived at the door of the furnace, they saw three men within it, whose raiment was like snow, the light of their faces was like the radiance of the sun, the hair of their heads was like gold; and they walked with Agape in the midst of the furnace. And these guards fell down on their faces from fright: and in their distress they said to the noble one, “Come out from the furnace, for behold! the Emperor wants thee.” Agape came out, and went and stood before the judgment-seat. And he commanded that they should heat an auger in the fire, and pierce the body of the faithful one with it. And when the wicked man saw that she despised the many tortures, and contemned the afflictions, and overcame the fire by prayer, he commanded that she should die by the sword. The noble one opened her mouth and said, “O Lord Jesus the Christ! I thank Thee and I praise Thee, that thou hast deemed me worthy of the victory of noble men, with my two sisters; and hast called me to the delight of Paradise. And now I beseech Thee, O Lord! remember Thy people who worship Thee. Remember also the faithful Sophia, my mother, who has stood before Thee with joy, and has served Thee splendidly, and on account of that make her worthy to remain three days in the world, and when she has made a memorial to her daughters on the third day, may she also be crowned with her daughters, and be buried beside us victoriously. And when Thou shalt do this, O Lord! we three sisters will praise Thee, and the faithful mother, and we shall be a memorial to Thy name for ever.”

And Sophia prayed to God, and said to Agape, “My most beloved daughter, go with joy in the path of Thy Lord. For I pray for this, that I may offer three virgin crowns an offering to the Lord; and may be remembered by my daughters in the kingdom of heaven. For lo! I see thy crown which is perfect in the host of the noble ones.”

And when her mother had finished saying these things to her, the noble woman stretched out her neck, and received the sword with joy.

And her mother Sophia embraced and kissed the bodies of her three daughters, and clothed [them] splendidly, and she yoked a carriage and placed her daughters upon it, and she went out of the city to a certain place that is eighteen miles from the city. And she placed the bodies of her virgin daughters there in a high place carefully; in the holy temple of their victory. And on the third day she went out to the cemetery that she might carry spices according to the custom. And all the free women of Rome went out with her, and also a great crowd of men and of women. And she poured out spice on the bodies of her daughters, and made a great commemoration according to the custom. And when all the crowd were standing, she offered a prayer, with sobs to God.

And when she had finished praying, she stood before the bier of her daughters. She opened her mouth and said, “My beloved daughters, I also am going with you, and I shall be worthy of the crowns of your promises.”

And when she had said these things, in that same hour she committed her soul to God, and slept the sleep of rest. And the rich women who were near, placed the blessed Sophia in the coffin of her noble daughters. And they went together to the Lord, and inherited life eternal.

Hadrian the unjust Emperor perished with many pangs. For the pupils of his eyes fell out, and the flesh perished from his bones. His legs were cut up by worms, and his hands from his joints, matter came out of his mouth, and he was altogether ruined. He cried with a loud voice, saying, “O Lord God, who didst help the three maidens and their mother, take my soul from me. For I know certainly that I bear this because of these three lives.” And when he had said these things, he wailed with a loud voice, and burst in twain. His flesh was scattered from him, and his bones were not found. And this happened to him by prophecy, for his wickedness.

Here endeth the martyrdom of Sophia, and of her three daughters.

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