Carpus and Papylus
Encyclopedia
Saint Carpus and Papylus (Karpos and Papylos) are venerated as Christian
martyrs together with Saints Agathodorus and Agathonica (Agathonice, Agathonike). According to tradition, Carpus was a bishop of Thyateira (present-day Akhisar
, Turkey
), Papylus was a deacon
, and Agathodorus was Carpus’s servant. Agathonica was Papylus’s sister. They were killed in 251 AD at Pergamum during the persecutions of Decius
. Another tradition holds that they martyrs who died 170 AD, during the reign of Marcus Aurelius.
The version of their legend that states that they died during the reign of Decius in the third century states that Carpus and Papylus were arrested by the Roman authorities. When they refused to worship the Roman gods, they were led through Pergamum in chains, and then tied to horses and dragged to Sardis
. Agathodorus and Agathonica followed Carpus and Papylus to Sardis, and there Agathonica was strangled to death with ox sinews. The men were all decapitated.
edited a collection of martyrdoms, which contained the martyrdoms of Carpus and Papylus, and Agathonica.
A shorter form of the account of the saints’ martyrdom was published in 1881 in the Revue Archavalogique (Dec., p. 348 sq.), after it had been discovered in a Greek manuscript in the Paris Library. The longer form of the account is the one that assigns the death date to the reign of Decius. The shorter account, considered more trustworthy, simply describes Carpus and Papylus as Christians rather than as a bishop and deacon, respectively. Papylus also describes himself as a citizen of Thyateira. Contrary to the tradition that they died during the reign of Decius, the scholar Adolf von Harnack
“has proved beyond all doubt that these martyrs were put to death during the reign of Marcus Aurelius, and that the shorter document which we have contains a genuine account related by an eye-witness.”
A church dedicated to Carpus and Papylus was built in Constantinople
in the late 4th or early 5th century, the substructure of which survives near the 19th century Church of Saint Menas of Samatya
.
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
martyrs together with Saints Agathodorus and Agathonica (Agathonice, Agathonike). According to tradition, Carpus was a bishop of Thyateira (present-day Akhisar
Akhisar
Akhisar is a county district and its town center in Manisa Province in the Aegean region of Western Turkey...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
), Papylus was a deacon
Deacon
Deacon is a ministry in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions...
, and Agathodorus was Carpus’s servant. Agathonica was Papylus’s sister. They were killed in 251 AD at Pergamum during the persecutions of Decius
Decius
Trajan Decius , was Roman Emperor from 249 to 251. In the last year of his reign, he co-ruled with his son Herennius Etruscus until they were both killed in the Battle of Abrittus.-Early life and rise to power:...
. Another tradition holds that they martyrs who died 170 AD, during the reign of Marcus Aurelius.
The version of their legend that states that they died during the reign of Decius in the third century states that Carpus and Papylus were arrested by the Roman authorities. When they refused to worship the Roman gods, they were led through Pergamum in chains, and then tied to horses and dragged to Sardis
Sardis
Sardis or Sardes was an ancient city at the location of modern Sart in Turkey's Manisa Province...
. Agathodorus and Agathonica followed Carpus and Papylus to Sardis, and there Agathonica was strangled to death with ox sinews. The men were all decapitated.
Veneration
Eusebius of CaesareaEusebius of Caesarea
Eusebius of Caesarea also called Eusebius Pamphili, was a Roman historian, exegete and Christian polemicist. He became the Bishop of Caesarea in Palestine about the year 314. Together with Pamphilus, he was a scholar of the Biblical canon...
edited a collection of martyrdoms, which contained the martyrdoms of Carpus and Papylus, and Agathonica.
A shorter form of the account of the saints’ martyrdom was published in 1881 in the Revue Archavalogique (Dec., p. 348 sq.), after it had been discovered in a Greek manuscript in the Paris Library. The longer form of the account is the one that assigns the death date to the reign of Decius. The shorter account, considered more trustworthy, simply describes Carpus and Papylus as Christians rather than as a bishop and deacon, respectively. Papylus also describes himself as a citizen of Thyateira. Contrary to the tradition that they died during the reign of Decius, the scholar Adolf von Harnack
Adolf von Harnack
Adolf von Harnack , was a German theologian and prominent church historian.He produced many religious publications from 1873-1912....
“has proved beyond all doubt that these martyrs were put to death during the reign of Marcus Aurelius, and that the shorter document which we have contains a genuine account related by an eye-witness.”
A church dedicated to Carpus and Papylus was built in Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
in the late 4th or early 5th century, the substructure of which survives near the 19th century Church of Saint Menas of Samatya
Church of Saint Menas of Samatya
Saint Menas is a Greek Orthodox Church in Istanbul.The edifice was built in 1833 near an early Christian Martyrion of the fourth or fifth century, possibly dedicated to the saints Carpus and Papylus Saint Menas (Greek: Ἄγιος Μηνάς – pr. Hágios Menás – Turkish: Ayios Minas Kilisesi) is a Greek...
.