Seven Sleepers

 Cave of the Seven Sleepers in Ephesus

According to the traditions of the Orthodox Church, the story of the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus takes place during the reign of Roman Emperor Decius. His reign was short but significant due to his efforts to revive the traditional Roman religion and his persecution of Christians. He came to Ephesus to enforce his laws against anyone found to be a Christian — and the punishment was a gruesome torturous death. 

In Ephesus, he found seven noble young soldiers, named Maximilian, Iamblicus, Martinian, John, Dionysius, Exacustodianus (Constantine) and Antoninus, who had been secretly baptised as Christians and who held steadfast to their faith.

The soldiers were stripped of rank, and because they served the Emperor, they were not sentenced to death, but instead given a warning not to pursue their Christian faith any longer!  They promptly distributed their property among the poor, took only a few coins and went into a cave on Mount Anchilos (also Ochlon) to pray and prepare for death. 

When Emperor Decius returned from a journey,  the seven hearing of his return said their last prayer in the cave and mysteriously fell into a deep slumber. When they were found asleep in the cave, the Emperor ordered the cave to be closed with huge stones and sealed; thus, they were buried alive. 

As the sentence was being carried out, it so happened that one of the workers sealing the cave was also a Christian in secret. He didn’t want this martyrdom to go unnoticed by future generations, so he placed a sealed container containing the names of the seven men and the story of how they bravely faced martyrdom for being Christians. 

Years passed until Theodosius I (Theodosius the Great, r. 379–395 AD) was made Emperor. His reign is notable for making Christianity the state religion of the Holy Roman Empire. He was the last emperor to rule both the Eastern and Western Roman Empires together. 

At that time, some heretics denied the resurrection of the body. Some of them said, “How can there be a resurrection of the dead when there will be neither soul nor body since they are disintegrated?” Others affirmed, “The souls alone will have a restoration since it would be impossible for bodies to arise and live after a thousand years when even their dust would not remain.” 

Therefore, the Lord revealed the mystery of the Resurrection of the Dead and of the future life through the Seven Sleepers.

Emperor Theodosius the Great was also a staunch defender of Nicene Christianity and worked to suppress heresies that diverged from its doctrines. The resurrection of the dead was a fundamental belief in Christian theology, as outlined in the Nicene Creed (adopted in 325 AD and reaffirmed during his reign at the First Council of Constantinople in 381 AD). Denying this core tenet was deemed heretical under the theological and legal framework Theodosius reinforced during his rule.

While this controversy was raging, a rich landowner named Adolios had the Sleepers' cave opened for use as a cattle stall. This awakened the seven sleepers, and thinking they had slept only one night, sent one of their number (Iamblicus, the youngest of the seven) to the city to buy food, that they may eat before they gave themselves up. 

Iamblicus came into the Agora in Ephesus but was amazed to see crosses over churches.  He was aghast to see people in the street openly proclaiming the name of Christ!  He couldn't believe that church services were being held out in the open!  

When Iamblicus went to pay for the bread, he used old coins with the image of Emperor Decius and was detained and taken to the city administrator, who was the Bishop of Ephesus. The Bishop of Ephesus couldn’t understand from where Iamblicus got his money coined by Emperor Decius, for he was unaware of Decius's reign.

Subsequently, the Bishop and the prefect went to the cave with Iamblicus and discovered the other six. It was here that they found in a dark corner, an old rusted and sealed container containing the two plaques that had been used to identify the men and their martyrdom. The seven were then sent to Emperor Theodosius the Great to tell him their remarkable story. 

Everyone rejoiced at this unexpected proof of the resurrection of the body. The sleepers, after giving testimony, either disappear or die praising God.

Theodosius the Great wanted to build golden tombs for them, but they appeared to him in a dream and asked to be buried in the earth in their cave. The cave was adorned with precious stones and a grand church was built over it.

Today a cave near the ancient city of Ephesus near İzmir is recognized as the Cave of the Seven Sleepers. Ruins of a church built over the cave in the 5th or 6th century also contain inscriptions dedicated to the Seven Sleepers at the foot of Panayır Mountain.

References 

1. 7 Holy Youths “Seven Sleepers” of Ephesus. (2014b, August 4). Orthodox Church in America. Retrieved December 7, 2024, from https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2014/08/04/102195-7-holy-youths-seven-sleepers-of-ephesus
2. Gabriel. (2024, August 5). The amazing story of the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus — St. Mary Magdalene Orthodox Church. St. Mary Magdalene Orthodox Church. Retrieved December 7, 2024, from http://www.st-marymagdalene.org/parish-blog/2024/8/5/the-amazing-story-of-the-seven-sleepers-of-ephesus
3. Fortescue, A. (1909). The Seven Sleepers of Ephesus. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05496a.htm