120 Martyrs of Persia (+344–347); the Martyr Jeremiah and Archilius the Presbyter (IV)

The 120 martyrs put to death by the Persians, the Martyr Jeremiah and Archilius the Presbyter. Sapor, king of Persia, demanded that the Christians carried off captive from Greece change their faith. Enraged by the captives’ firm refusal and courageous confession of Christianity, the king ordered them to be tortured, and when he understood that he could not break the spirit of the soldiers of Christ by torture, he had them burned in fire. Among those who suffered, the names of Jeremiah and Archilius the Presbyter are known. According to tradition, among the martyrs were nine virgins dedicated to the service of God. This happened in the fourth century, around 344–347. Saint Gregory the Dialogist gives scant information about their martyrdom.