Hieromartyr Sadoc Bishop of Persia, and the 128 Martyrs with him
died c. 342
Also known as Sadoth · Sadok of Persia · the 128 Martyrs of Persia
Successor to the Hieromartyr Simeon as bishop in Persia, Sadoc was martyred with one hundred and twenty-eight clergy and faithful, including nine virgins, under King Sapor II.
Feast Day
February 20
Also Oct 19
Draft
Draft — pending review. Not yet verified for publication.
The Holy Hieromartyr Sadoc, Bishop of Persia, and the Hundred and Twenty-Eight Martyrs with Him
Life
Sadoc (also rendered Sadoth or Shahdost) was a fourth-century bishop in Persia and the successor of the Hieromartyr Simeon. He was put to death together with a large company of his clergy and faithful during the persecution of Christians under the Persian king Sapor (Shapur) II.
He is commemorated as a hieromartyr alongside one hundred and twenty-eight martyrs who suffered with him, including nine virgins; the group is honored together as a single commemoration.
Contributions & Legacy
2 contributions
ReadHide
Office and Succession
Sadoc became bishop in Persia as the successor of the Hieromartyr Simeon, whose own commemoration falls on April 17. In the Western (Roman Martyrology and Butler's) recension his see is named as Seleucia and Ctesiphon, the two capital cities of Persia situated on the Tigris River, and he is said to have been chosen three months after Simeon's death and to have governed the church only a short time before his own martyrdom.
By tradition Sadoc received a dream in which Simeon appeared to him standing in great glory atop a ladder reaching up to heaven, saying, in effect, that as Simeon had ascended the day before, so Sadoc would ascend that day — understood as a foretelling of his coming martyrdom.
Persecution and Martyrdom
The persecution of Christians in Persia was renewed under King Sapor II, who ordered Sadoc to be arrested together with his clergy and flock. In all, one hundred and twenty-eight people were taken, the company including nine virgins.
The prisoners were held and cruelly tortured over a period of five months. They were pressed to renounce Christ and to worship the sun and fire, but refused, professing instead the One God, the Creator of heaven and earth. They were condemned to death and beheaded by the sword; the Western account places the martyrdom about the year 342.
