judaism_and_rome 2026-07-22T08:46:14+02:00 1 154 Inscription https://heurist.huma-num.fr/heurist/?recID=154&db=judaism_and_rome 2022-08-16 23:18:38 2025-12-22 16:21:49 public Iulius Eugenius, a Soldier in Pisidia and Bishop of Laodicea Tabula Ansata with a rectangular frame and a carved moulding at the top. 0320 0320 0340 0340 4671 Greek 1899 1898 1897 3967 1896 <p>This text was inscribed on one of the many sarcophagi populating the necropolis of the eastern Mediterranean under Roman rule. Most funerary inscriptions are rather formulaic and have not attracted much scholarly interest in studies assessing the impact of Rome on the provinces. This testimony, however, is remarkable because it records the biographical account of a bishop who both served as a soldier in the imperial army and built a church in the first half of the 4^th century CE. Accordingly, these lines shed unique light on the evolution of the Roman Empire at the beginning of Late Antiquity and the transformation of tortured martyrs into notable Christians.</p> <p>Marcus Iulius Eugenius was the son of a man from Kuessa, a settlement not attested elsewhere in the available sources. It most likely corresponded to a rural community in the region of central Anatolia where the episodes recorded took placed. Despite this obscure origin, Eugenius is described as a member of the council (βουλευτής/<em>bouleutês</em>), so he belonged to the privileged curial class. According to his nomenclature, his family had received Roman citizenship before the <em>Constitutio Antoniniana</em> and a high social standing should be confirmed by his marriage to Flavia Iulia Flaviane, who was daughter of a member of the Roman senatorial class (συγκλητικός/<em>synklêtikos</em>). Hence, this is not a case of a deprived countryman entering the lowest ranks of the Roman army. Eugenius’s military service was conducted honourably (μετ’ ἐπιτειμίας/<em>met’epiteimias</em>) and he served in the force (τάξις/<em>taxis</em>) directly attached to the governor of Pisidia. This province surrounded by Phrygia, Caria, Galatia and Lycaonia had been created during the profound territorial reforms carried out by the Tetrarchy between the end of the 3^rd and beginning of the 4^th centuries CE; <a href="https://pleiades.stoa.org/places/609307">Antioch</a> was its capital and M. Valerius Diogenes (cited in l. 8) one of the first governors (<em>PLRE</em> I Diogenes 8, p. 257; see Christol and Drew-Bear “Antioche de Pisidie”). The participation of Eugenius in the Roman army is interesting because authoritative Christian authors such as Tertullian had recommended exactly the opposite on grounds of idolatry (<a title="Tertullian, On Idolatry XIX" href="1261/public-record.tpl" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>On Idolatry</em> XIX</a>). Furthermore, the African writer in the Severan period denounced that military service required certain practices such as oaths or violence which contravened God’s law (<a title="Tertullian, On the Military Garland I.1-4" href="1260/public-record.tpl" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tertullian, <em>On the Military Garland</em> I.1-4</a>; <a title="Tertullian, On the Military Garland XI.1-4" href="1257/public-record.tpl" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>On the Military Garland</em> XI.1-4</a>).</p> <p>The example of Marcus Iulius Eugenius therefore illustrates the difficulties and contradictions of a member of the local elite who was, on the one hand, expected to service the Roman Empire and, on the other hand, bound to the commandments of his religious group. Indeed, this is not an isolated case because Eusebius reports that the so-called ‘Great Persecution’ initiated by Diocletian in 303 first struck “our brothers in the army” (<a title="Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History VIII.1.7-2.2" href="1183/public-record.tpl" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Eusebius, <em>Ecclesiastical History</em> VIII.1.7-2.2</a>).</p> <p>The beginning of the 4^th century was a particularly challenging period for Christianity. Once the persecutions of the 250’s came to end, Gallienus inaugurated a more lenient policy in which the Church grew with a certain degree of complacency (<a title="Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History VIII.1.7-2.2" href="1183/public-record.tpl" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Eusebius, <em>Ecclesiastical History</em> VIII.1.7-2.2</a>; <a title="Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History VIII.13.9-14" href="1171/public-record.tpl" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>Ecclesiastical History</em> VIII.13.9-14</a>). With the arrival and establishment of the Tetrarchy, the Roman rulers became identified with Jupiter and Hercules, and they required pagan sacrifices to be performed (<a title="Peter of Alexandria, Canonical Epistle V-VII" href="1173/public-record.tpl" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Peter of Alexandria, <em>Canonical Epistle</em> V-VII</a>), even by people holding prominent positions in the Roman administration (<a title="Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History VIII.9.6-8 and 11.1-2" href="1172/public-record.tpl" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Eusebius, <em>Ecclesiastical History</em> VIII.9.6-8 and 11.1-2</a>). Martyrs multiplied across the provinces of the Empire (<a title="Inscriptiones Christianae Graecae 3621" href="152/public-record.tpl" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>Inscriptiones Christianae Graecae</em> 3621</a>), and the <em>Caesar</em> Maximinus showed himself particularly harsh already in 306 according to Eusebius, (<em>Palestinian Martyrs</em> IV.8, IX.2). Only in 311, Maxentius declared from Rome toleration for the Christians (Eusebius, <em>Ecclesiastical History </em>VIII.14.1), and Galerius, in the East, followed (Lactantius, <em>On the Death of the Persecutors </em>33.1-35; Eusebius,<em> Ecclesiastical History</em> VIII. 17. 3-10). The latter died shortly thereafter and Maximinus Daia immediately came from the Near East to occupy Asia Minor. He had not subscribed to the Edict of Toleration, so official embassies from the territory under his control soon reached him asking to punish the Christians as evidenced in the petition from Arykanda. The text issued by Maximinus confirms that such demands were fulfilled and he even allowed the expulsion of Christians from the cities (Eusebius, <em>Ecclesiastical History </em>IX.7.3-14; see Mitchell, “Maximinus”). This order (κέλευσις/<em>keleusis</em>) is precisely referred to in the sarcophagus (l. 5) as it forced the Christians to perform sacrifices (θύειν/<em>thuein</em>) without the possibility of escaping military service (στρατεία/<em>strateia</em>). For this reason, Eugenius suffered the many tortures (βάσανοι/<em>basanoi</em>) laid down by the provincial governor, as also described in the martyrdom of St. Theodotus (see Mitchell, “The Life”).</p> <p>After such traumatic events, Eugenius abandoned the army preserving “the faith of the Christians” (τῶν Χρειστιανῶν πίστις/<em>tôn Chreistianôn pistis</em>). Subsequently, the orders of imperial authorities were not followed any longer, but rather the will (βούλησις/<em>boulêsis</em>) of the almighty god (παντοκράτωρ/<em>pantokratôr</em>). Eugenius arrived at <a href="https://pleiades.stoa.org/places/619197%5D" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Laodicea</a> (Combusta or Katakekaumene) in the east of Pisidia and became bishop (ἐπίσκοπος/<em>episkopos</em>) of the city, a position which he held for 25 years. The region was an important centre of the Novatianist movement, and it has been argued – without confirmation – that Eugenius succeeded the religious leader Severus (<em>MAMA</em> I.171; see Mitchell, <em>Anatolia II</em>, p. 100-102). Neither of them appear in the lists of bishops that attended the council of Nicaea; yet, Eugenius must have experienced during his tenure the transition from Christians being martyred to Christianity becoming the state religion. Maximinus Daia died in 313 (Eusebius, <em>Ecclesiastical History </em>IX.9a.4-9) and soon thereafter the ‘Edict of Milan’ promulgated to decriminalise Christianity also reached the Anatolian provinces. In this new context, the bishop of Laodicea was allowed to completely rebuild a church (ἐκλησία/<em>eklêsia</em>) with all its constituent elements and ornaments (l.15-17). The inscribed sarcophagus (σορός/<em>soros</em>) that he commissioned soon before his death would also serve to embellish the legacy of his religious building and family. Eugenius’s quest for posterity has likewise provided us with an exceptional testimony of a period in which the Church passed from the toils of persecution to the promotion of public construction, with the sponsorship of local religious leaders who still found it convenient to record previous episodes of struggle against Roman power before the Christian Empire began to be established.</p> marriage city council civic council senator bishop Laodicea Pisidia Asia Minor Maximinus Daia Christianity Roman army persecution Roman governor Christian Church building all-mighty god Halıcı street in Ladik (Turkey), half buried in a field near the cemetery. Limestone 132 high, 263 wide, and 126 centimetres thick. Letters are between 2 and 3 centimetres tall. 4th CE 5832 Field close to the Turkish village of Ladik, ancient Laodicea Combusta/Katakekaumene. 121 169 1261 1260 1257 1121 1049 Roman Greek Christian MAMA I 170 [I.Montanist 69] No <p align="left">This edition is based on Calder, William M., <em>Monumenta Asiae Minoris Antiqua</em>, London: Manchester University Press, 1928, p. 89, no. 170. Diacritical marks have been updated to comply with the Leiden conventions.</p> <table style="height: 563px; width: 1355px;" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td valign="top" width="23"> <div align="left"> </div> </td> <td valign="top" width="471"> <div align="left"> Μ. Ἰού. Εὐ[γέ]νιος Κυρίλλου Κέλερος Κουησσέως βουλ(ευτὴς)</div> </td> </tr><tr><td valign="top" width="23"> <div align="left"> </div> </td> <td valign="top" width="471"> <div align="left">        στρατευσ[ά]μενος ἐν τῇ κατὰ Πισιδίαν ἡγεμονικῇ τάξι</div> </td> </tr><tr><td valign="top" width="23"> <div align="left"> </div> </td> <td valign="top" width="471"> <div align="left">        καὶ γήμα[ς] θυγατέρα Γαΐου Νεστοριανοῦ συνκλητικοῦ</div> </td> </tr><tr><td valign="top" width="23"> <div align="left"> </div> </td> <td valign="top" width="471"> <div align="left">        Φλ. Ἰ[ο]υλ. Φ[λ]αουιανὴν καὶ μετ’ ἐπιτει[μ]ίας στρατευσάμενον</div> </td> </tr><tr><td valign="top" width="23"> <div align="left">5</div> </td> <td valign="top" width="471"> <div align="left">                      ἐν δὲ τῷ μ̣εταξὺ χρόνῳ κελεύσεως [φ]οιτησάσης ἐπὶ Μαξιμίνου</div> </td> </tr><tr><td valign="top" width="23"> <div align="left"> </div> </td> <td valign="top" width="471"> <div align="left">        τοὺς Χρ[ε]ιστιανοὺς θύειν καὶ μὴ ἀπα[λ]λάσσεσθαι τῆς</div> </td> </tr><tr><td valign="top" width="23"> <div align="left"> </div> </td> <td valign="top" width="471"> <div align="left">        στρατεί[α]ς̣ πλείστας δὲ ὅσας βασάνου̣[ς] ὑπομείνας</div> </td> </tr><tr><td valign="top" width="23"> <div align="left"> </div> </td> <td valign="top" width="471"> <div align="left">        ἐπὶ Διογέν̣ους ἡγεμόνος σπουδάσας [τ]ε ἀπαλλαγῆναι</div> </td> </tr><tr><td valign="top" width="23"> <div align="left"> </div> </td> <td valign="top" width="471"> <div align="left">        τῆς στρατε̣ίας τὴν τῶν Χρειστιανῶν πίστιν φυλάσσων</div> </td> </tr><tr><td valign="top" width="23"> <div align="left">10</div> </td> <td valign="top" width="471"> <div align="left">                      χρόνον τ[ε] βραχὺν διατρείψας ἐν τῇ Λαοδικέων πόλι</div> </td> </tr><tr><td valign="top" width="23"> <div align="left"> </div> </td> <td valign="top" width="471"> <div align="left">        καὶ βουλήσ̣ε̣ι τοῦ παντοκράτορος θεοῦ ἐπίσκοπος</div> </td> </tr><tr><td valign="top" width="23"> <div align="left"> </div> </td> <td valign="top" width="471"> <div align="left">        κατασταθ[εὶ]ς καὶ εἴκοσι πέντε ὅλοις ἔτεσιν τὴν ἐπισκοπὴν</div> </td> </tr><tr><td valign="top" width="23"> <div align="left"> </div> </td> <td valign="top" width="471"> <div align="left">        μετὰ πολ[λ]ῆς ἐπιτειμίας διοι[κ]ήσας καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν ἐκλησίαν</div> </td> </tr><tr><td valign="top" width="23"> <div align="left"> </div> </td> <td valign="top" width="471"> <div align="left">        ἀνοικοδο[μ]ήσας ἀπὸ θεμελίων καὶ σύνπαντα τὸν περὶ αὐτὴν</div> </td> </tr><tr><td valign="top" width="23"> <div align="left">15</div> </td> <td valign="top" width="471"> <div align="left">                      κόσμον τ̣ο̣ῦτ’ ἐστιν στοῶν τε καὶ τ[ετ]ραστόων καὶ</div> </td> </tr><tr><td valign="top" width="23"> <div align="left"> </div> </td> <td valign="top" width="471"> <div align="left">        ζωγραφιῶ̣[ν] καὶ κεντήσεων κὲ ὑδρείου καὶ προπύλου καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς</div> </td> </tr><tr><td valign="top" width="23"> <div align="left"> </div> </td> <td valign="top" width="471"> <div align="left">λιθοξοϊκοῖς ἔργοις καὶ πᾶ̣[σι ἁπ]αξαπλῶς κατασκευά[σας λειψόμε]νός τε τὸν τῶν ἀνθρώπων</div> </td> </tr><tr><td valign="top" width="23"> <div align="left"> </div> </td> <td valign="top" width="471"> <div align="left">βίον ἐποίησα ἐμαυτῷ πέ[λτα τ]ε̣ καὶ σορὸν ἐν ᾗ τὰ προ[γεγραμμένα] ταῦτα ἐποίησα ἐπιγρ<α>φῖνε</div> </td> </tr><tr><td valign="top" width="23"> <div align="left"> </div> </td> <td valign="top" width="471"> <div align="left">[εἰς κό]σ̣μον τῆς τε ἐκ[λησίας κ]ὲ τοῦ γένους μου.</div> <div> </div> </td> </tr></tbody></table> <p style="text-align: justify;">The translation is my own and tries to remain as close to the original Greek text as possible.<br /><br />M(arcus) Iulius Eugenius, son of Cyrillus Celer from Kuessa, councillor, having served as soldier in the forces attached to the governor of Pisidia, and married Fl(avia) Iul(ia) Flaviane, the daughter of the senatorial C(aius) Nestorianus, and having honourably served as soldier in the exact moment in which by the order issued under the rule of Maximinus the Christians were to sacrifice and not to be released from military service. I also suffered many great tortures submitted when Diogenes was governor, abandoned the military service preserving the faith of the Christians, stayed a brief time in the city of the Laodiceans and was ordained bishop by the will of the almighty god. I acted 25 years as bishop with great dignity and rebuilt a church from its foundations and provided all the decorations around it, that is the porticos, antechambers, paintings, mosaics, a fountain, the gateway, all the masonry works and everything else in general. When I was about to depart human life, I made for myself the shaft and sarcophagus on which the above written deeds I have commissioned to be inscribed for the embellishment of both the church and my lineage.</p> Translation by author of the database record Yes The bishop of Laodicea and former soldier, Eugenius, commemorates the construction of a church after having suffered persecution and tortures under Maximinus Daia. φυλάσσω πίστις βούλησις παντοκράτωρ θεός ἐπίσκοπος ἐκκλησία κόσμος σορός στρατεύω βουλευτής ἡγεμονικός τάξις γαμέω κέλευσις θύω Χριστιανός ἀπαλλάσσω βάσανος Aitor Blanco Pérez English Funerary Yes 121 169 1