Disputation of Achatius · §7 · Acts of the Martyrs

Refusing to betray names and being sent back to prison

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Martianus demands the names of those of the whole church, Achatius refuses to give them, and Martianus sends him back to prison until the emperor Decius decides.

Martianus said, "Give the names, so you yourself do not sink under the punishment." Achatius answered, "I stand before the tribunal myself, and you ask for my name? Do you hope to conquer many, when I alone extinguish you? If names are dear to your heart, I am called Achatius, and if you seek my proper name, I am called Agathangelus, and Piso bishop of the Trojans, and Menander presbyter. Do now what you please."

Martianus said, "You will be received back into prison, so the emperor may learn the proceedings and what should be done with you may be decided by his nod."

When all the proceedings had been read, the Emperor Decius wondered at the exchange of the answer already given and broke into laughter. He soon gave Martianus the prefecture of Pamphylia, but he greatly admired Achatius and gave him back to his own judgment and his law. This was done by Martianus the consular, under the Emperor Decius, four days before the Kalends of April.

Greek

Martianus ait: Da nomina, ne poenae ipse succumbas. respondit Achatius: Ante tribunal ipse assisto, et nomen inquiris? an speras quod multos valeas vincere, quem ego solus extinguo? si cordi tuo nomina sunt, Achatius dicor, et si proprium nomen meum exploras, vocor Agathangelus, et Piso Troianorum episcopus, et Menander presbyter. fac iam quod placet. Martianus ait: Recipieris in carcerem, ut imperator gesta cognoscat et eius nutu quid de te agi debeat decernatur. lectis itaque omnibus gestis Decius imperator, alterationem iam redditae responsionis admirans, versus in risum est et Martiano praefecturam Pamphyliae mox dedit, Achatium vero vehementer admirans aestimationi propriae et legi suae reddidit. haec facta sunt a Martiano consulari, imperatore Decio, quarto kalendas Aprilis.

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Martianus, consular prefect under Decius, has Achatius brought before him to require sacrifice with him to the emperor's gods.

This work is anonymous and names no addressee. It is a disputation in dialogue form set under Decius, in which Martianus, consular prefect, has Achatius brought before him to require sacrifice with him to the emperor's gods. The narrator presents the interrogation as remembrance of the deeds of God's servants, ending with imprisonment and referral of the record to Decius, and the clause explaining why Achatius was singled out is corrupt and uncertain.

Achatius argues that Christians honor the emperor by constant prayer for his life, just rule, armies and world peace, but sacrifice is owed to the true God, not to a man, identified as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the Most High Adonai above cherubim and seraphim. He rejects Apollo, Hyacinth, Neptune, Asclepius, Venus, Jupiter, Juno and the rest of that sort, refuses to deny Christ who will judge living and dead, and refuses to name those of the whole church or accept the charge of sorcery. The reader meets Achatius, also called Agathangelus, Martianus, Decius, Jesus Christ, Adam, and Piso and Menander, whose place in one clause as separate bishop and presbyter or as further titles of the speaker is uncertain, and hears judgment sayings, a saying of Christ, and a psalm quoted by Achatius, with Martianus as the voice argued against.

Here sacrifice means pagan offering demanded as proof of loyalty, true God means the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob opposed to visible gods, and gods means Apollo, Jupiter, Juno and others. Son of God and Word of truth name Jesus Christ, Christian faith means the life under attack, whole church means the universal Christian people, deny means public disowning under threat, force means judicial compulsion to sacrifice, and sorcerers states the charge against Christians. Quotations come without book names, introduced by prophet cries, it is written, and again, and psalms follow old numbering about one number lower than modern numbering, cited as Gen, Ps, Matt and Rom, while one passage about the rest of that sort stands in an unreadable gap.

Printed text used

Translated from Oscar von Gebhardt, Acta martyrum selecta (Berlin: A. Duncker, 1902) (Latin)

This work has passed our source check. We made this study translation with AI help. No scholar has yet certified it as faithful and complete. Open Greek on any section to see the source text. It is not a critical edition.

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