SIMEON BARSABAE, ST.

Martyr, bishop of Seleucia-Ctesiphon, Mesopotamia; d. Karkha de Ledan, Mesopotamia, April 17, 344. Bar sabb’ē signifies the son of a dyer, but Simeon is first mentioned in the acts of a synod under Dadischo in 424 as an opponent of Papa bar ‘Aggai, Bishop of Seleucia. Although elected to succeed the deposed Aggai, be took office only upon the latter's death. He is possibly the object of the denunciation in St. aphraates' demonstration (14.8.9.25). As bishop Simeon faced internal difficulties and the persecution of Sapor II, who suspected him of Byzantine leanings on religious grounds, imprisoned him under penalty of paying ransom, and eventually put him to death together with two priests, Abdhaikla and Hanania; the eunuch, Gushtahazad; Simeon's sister, Tarbo; and the chief of the royal artisans, Puseik; who formed the first group of Persian martyrs under the Sassanid dynasty. The passio supplying the details of his death seems authentic in both the simplicity of its narration and the absence of miraculous happenings. The date of his death, between 341 and 344, is disputed, and synaxary of constantinople varies between April 14 and 17 for his feast.

Feast: April 14.

Bibliography: j. p. kirsch, Lexikon für Theologie und Kirche, ed. m. buchberger, 10 v. (Freiburg 1930–38) 9:574. maruta, Acta sanctorum martyrum orientalium, ed. s. e. assemani, 2 v. (Rome 1748) 1:10–36. p. bedjan, ed., Acta martyrum et sanctorum, 7 v. (Paris 1890–97) 2:123–130. m. kmosko, tr. and ed., Martyrium Beati Simeonis Bar Sabba'e (Patrologia syriaca, ed. r. graffin et al., 3 v. [Paris 1894–1926] 2; 1907) 715–960. j. labourt, Le Christianisme dans l'empire Perse (Paris 1904). p. peeters, "La Date du martyre de S. Syméon," b. de gaiffier, Analecta Bollandiana (Brussels 1882–) 56 (1938) 118–143.

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