The Seven Sleepers arose in the city of Ephesus. Now when the emperor Decius, persecuting the Christians, had come to Ephesus, he ordered temples to be built in the midst of the city, so that all might join with him in the sacrifices of the idols. When therefore he had ordered all the Christians to be sought out and compelled those who were bound either to sacrifice or to die, so great a terror of punishments was in all, that friend denied friend, and father his son, and son his father. Then in that city seven Christians were found: Maximian, Malchus, Marcian, Dionysius, John, Serapion, and Constantine, who, seeing this, grieved exceedingly. And since they were chief men of the palace, scorning the sacrifices of the idols, they hid themselves in their house and gave themselves to fastings and prayers.
Being accused therefore, they were brought before Decius, and being proved to be truly Christians, they were dismissed, having been given a space for coming to their senses until the return of Decius. But they, in the meantime spending their patrimony among the poor, having taken counsel, withdrew to Mount Celion and there decreed to remain more secretly. While they were thus hiding for a long time, one of them always ministered, and as often as he entered the city, he clothed himself in the figure and habit of a beggar. When therefore Decius had returned to the city and had ordered them to be sought out for sacrificing, Malchus their minister, terrified, returned to his companions and indicated to them the fury of the emperor. And when they were gravely terrified, Malchus set before them the loaves he had brought, that, strengthened by food, they might be made stronger for the battle.
Now after they had supped, sitting and conversing in grief and tears, suddenly, as God willed, they fell asleep. When morning came, and they had been sought and could not be found, and Decius grieved that he had lost such young men, they were accused of having hitherto hidden on Mount Celion and of remaining in their purpose, distributing their goods to the poor Christians. Decius therefore ordered that their parents should be present, and he threatened them with death unless they told whatever they knew about them. But they likewise accused them and complained that they had spent their riches on the poor. Then, considering what he should do about them, by God's prompting he ordered the mouth of the cave to be blocked up with stones, so that they might die there, shut in by hunger and want.
This indeed the ministers did; and two Christians, Theodore and Rufinus, writing down their martyrdom, cautiously placed it among the stones. When therefore Decius had died, and that whole generation, after three hundred and seventy-two years, in the thirtieth year of the reign of Theodosius, there sprang up the heresy of those who denied the resurrection of the dead. Wherefore Theodosius, the most Christian emperor, being grieved because he saw the faith so impiously assailed, clothed in sackcloth and sitting in an inner place, wept each day. Seeing this, the merciful God willed to console the mourning and to confirm the hope of the resurrection of the dead, and, opening the treasure of his loving-kindness, thus raised up the aforesaid martyrs.
For he put into the heart of a certain citizen of Ephesus to build stables for his shepherds on that mountain. As the masons were opening the cave, the saints arose, and greeting one another, they thought that they had slept only one night. And recalling their sorrow of the previous day, they asked Malchus, who had ministered to them, what Decius had decreed about them. But he answered, as he had said the evening before: "We were sought, that we might sacrifice to the idols. Behold, this is what the emperor intends concerning us." Maximian answered: "And God knows that we will not sacrifice." And when he had strengthened his companions, he ordered Malchus to go down to the city to buy bread, and bringing back more loaves than yesterday, to report what the emperor had ordered.
Taking therefore five solidi, Malchus went out from the cave, and seeing the stones he marveled, but thinking of other things, he gave little thought to the stones. Coming therefore timidly to the gate of the city, he marveled greatly, seeing the sign of the cross set above it. Whence, going to another gate, when he found the same sign, he marveled beyond measure, seeing all the gates with the sign of the cross placed upon them and the city changed. And crossing himself, he returned to the first gate, supposing that he was dreaming. Whence, taking courage and covering his face, he entered the city, and coming to the sellers of bread, he heard men speaking of Christ, and yet more astonished he said: "What is this," he said, "that yesterday no one dared to name Christ, and now all confess Christ!
I think that this is not the city of the Ephesians, because it is built otherwise; but I do not know any other such city." And when, asking, he had heard that this was Ephesus, he truly thought himself to be in error and resolved to return to his companions. Nevertheless he approached those who were selling bread, and when he had produced the silver coins, the sellers, marveling, said to one another that that young man had found an ancient treasure. But Malchus, seeing them speaking to one another, thought that they wished to drag him to the emperor, and terrified he begged them to let him go and to keep both the loaves and the silver coins. But they, holding him, said to him: "Whence are you?
Since you have found the treasures of the ancient emperors, show us, and we will be partners with you and will hide you, because otherwise you cannot be hidden." But Malchus, out of fear, could not find what to say to them. But they, seeing him silent, put a rope about his neck and dragged him through the streets to the middle of the city. And a rumor went out to all, that a certain young man had found treasures. When therefore all had gathered to him and were marveling at him, he wished to satisfy them that he had found nothing. And looking around at all, he could be recognized by no one; and gazing into the crowd, he wished to recognize someone of his kinsmen, whom he truly thought to be living; and finding no one, he stood as if mad in the midst of the people of the city.
When the holy bishop Martin and the proconsul Antipater, who had recently come into the city, had heard of this, they commanded the citizens to bring him cautiously, along with his silver coins. And when he was being dragged by the ministers to the church, he thought that he was being led to the emperor. The bishop therefore and the proconsul, marveling at the silver coins, asked him where he had found the unknown treasure. But he answered that he had found nothing whatever, but had those same denarii from the purse of his parents. And being asked of what city he was, he answered: "I know well that I am of this city, if only this is the city of the Ephesians." The proconsul said: "Make your parents come, that they may testify for you.
" And when he had named them, and no one recognized them, they said that he was making this up, so that he might in some way escape. And the proconsul said: "How shall we believe you, that this silver was your parents', when its inscription bears more than three hundred and seventy-seven years, and is of the earliest days of the emperor Decius, and they are in no way like our silver coins? And how were your parents alive so long ago? You, a young man, wish to deceive the wise and the elders of Ephesus. Therefore I will order you to be handed over to the laws, until you confess what you have found." Then Malchus, falling down before them, said: "For God's sake, my lords, tell me what I ask you, and I will tell you what is in my heart.
The emperor Decius, who was in this city, where it now is!' The bishop said: 'Son, there is no one on earth today who is named Decius, but the emperor lived a long time ago.' But Malchus said: 'In this, lord, I am so amazed, and no one believes me; but follow me and I will show you my companions, who are on Mount Caelius, and believe them. For this I know, that we fled from the face of the emperor Decius, and only yesterday I saw Decius enter this city, if indeed this is the city of Ephesus.' Then the bishop, reflecting within himself, said to the proconsul that it was a vision which God wished to reveal in this young man. So they went forth with him, together with a very great crowd of the city.
And Malchus entered first to his companions, and after him the bishop, entering, found among the stones a document sealed with two silver seals. And having summoned the people, he read it while all listened and marvelled. And seeing the saints of God seated in the cave, their faces like blooming roses, they fell down and glorified God. At once the bishop and the proconsul sent to the emperor Theodosius, asking that he should come quickly and behold the miracles of God lately revealed. And he at once arose from the ground and from the sackcloth in which he had been mourning. Glorifying God, he came from Constantinople to Ephesus, and with all coming to meet him, they all went up together to the cave.
And as soon as the saints saw the emperor, their faces shone like the sun. And the emperor entered and fell down before them, glorifying God; and rising up he embraced them and wept over each one, saying: 'I see you as though I were beholding the Lord raising up Lazarus.' Then the holy Maximian said to him: 'Believe us, that for your sake God has raised us up before the day of the great resurrection, so that you may believe without doubt that there is a resurrection of the dead.
For truly we have risen and are alive; and just as an infant in its mother's womb feels no harm and yet lives, so were we living, lying and sleeping and feeling nothing.' And when they had said this, in the sight of all, bowing their heads to the ground they fell asleep and gave up their spirits according to the command of God. But the emperor, rising, fell upon them weeping and kissing them. And when he had ordered golden coffins to be made in which they should be placed, that very night they appeared to the emperor, saying that, as until now they had lain in the earth and had risen from the earth, so he should leave them until the Lord should again raise them up.
Therefore the emperor ordered that place to be adorned with gilded stones, and all the bishops who confessed the resurrection to be absolved. As for their being said to have slept three hundred and seventy-two years, this may be doubtful, for they rose in the year of the Lord 448, while Decius reigned only one year and three months, namely in the year of the Lord 252. And thus they slept only one hundred and ninety-six years.