Julius the Veteran

Saint Julius the Veteran
Romanian Orthodox icon of Saint Julius
Martyr
Born255
Diedc. 304 (trad. also 292, 302)
Durostorum, Roman Empire
Venerated inEastern Orthodox Church
Roman Catholic Church
Anglican Communion
Feast27 May
AttributesMartyr's cross
PatronageMilitary Saint

Saint Julius the Veteran (Latin: Iulius), also known as Julius of Durostorum, is a Christian martyr venerated as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church, Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England. His feast day is 27 May.[1]

Life

Julius of Durostorum was born to pagan parents.[2] The date of Julius' conversion to Christianity is unknown. Julius served as a Roman soldier for 27 years first as a conscript, then returning as a [veteran], totaling seven military campaigns in total. Given the years and locations in which Julius served, Rev. Herbert Musurillo, S.J. writes that Julius likely served in the Legio XI Claudia. Julius was Christian his entire military career.[3]

In accordance with the fourth edict of the Diocletian Persecution, Julius was brought to trial before the prefect, Maximus, after being arrested by Maximus' staff soldiers for refusing to make a public sacrifice to the Roman gods. Upon hearing of his military service, Maximus complimented Julius for being a wise and serious man. In gratitude for his military service, Maximus proposed Julius a bargain: if Julius offered the public sacrifice, Maximus would accept blame for the sin of the sacrifice and would give Julius freedom, a ten-year bonus payment, and immunity from future charges. Julius declined the offer and was sentenced to death. Julius was killed by the sword in Durostorum, the Roman camp in Moesia Inferior (modern Silistra, Bulgaria) sometime between January and March of 304. Julius is widely considered a martyr.[4]

Literature

  • L. Arik Greenberg: My Share of God's Reward. Exploring the Roles and Formulations of the Afterlife in Early Christian Martyrdom, Reihe: Studies in Biblical Literature - Band 121, Lang, New York, Bern, Berlin, Bruxelles, Frankfurt am Main, Oxford, Wien 2009, ISBN 978-1-4331-0487-9, S. 195–198.

Notes

  1. ^ Schäfer, Joachim. "Julius von Durostorum", Ökumenischen Heiligenlexikon
  2. ^ L. Arik Greenberg: My Share of God's Reward. Exploring the Roles and Formulations of the Afterlife in Early Christian Martyrdom, Reihe: Studies in Biblical Literature - Band 121, Lang, New York, Bern, Berlin, Bruxelles, Frankfurt am Main, Oxford, Wien 2009, ISBN 978-1-4331-0487-9, S. 195–198.
  3. ^ Musurillo, Herbert (1972). The Acts of the Christian Martyrs. Oxford: Clarendon Press. p. xxxix, 260-265. ISBN 0198268068.
  4. ^ Musurillo, Herbert (1972). The Acts of the Christian Martyrs. Oxford: Clarendon Press. p. xxxix, 260-265. ISBN 0198268068.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.