Martyrdom of Arethas
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The Martyrdom of Arethas (full original title: Martyrium Sancti Arethae et sociorum in civitate Negran), also known as the Acts of Arethas, is a hagiography about the life and martyrdom of Arethas of Najran, the leader of the Najran's Christians in the early 6th century. The Martyrdom was written in Greek c. 560 AD, and survives through its translations into Latin, Ethiopic, and Arabic. The Martyrdom describes the role played by the Jewish king of the Himyarite Kingdom of South Arabia, Dhu Nuwas, in laying the city of Najran to siege and then massacring its Christian inhabitants and burning their churches.[1]
Scholars disagree on some of the sources of the text. Some believe that it was based on the Book of the Himyarites, whereas others think it was based on Simeon of Beth Arsham's Letter on the Himyarite Martyrs. Irfan Shahid has argued that Simeon is also the author of the Martyrdom. The Martyrdom survives in a tenth-century manuscript, but was likely written shortly after the second Aksumite expedition into South Arabia in 525, based on oral testimonies from eyewitnesses.[2]
Alessandro Bausi and Alessandro Gori have edited the Ethiopic recension of the Martyrdom.[3] Irfan Shahid has argued that the Martyrdom is a reliable account.[4]