Acts of Pusai explained

The Acts of Pusai or Martyrdom of Pusai is a Syriac narrative about the martyrdom of a Christian saint named Pusai. English-speaking literature refers to this work by a variety of names, including the Martyrdom of Pusai-Qarugbed, on account of Pusai's title Qarugbed, "Head of the Craftsmen",^[1] and as the "Martyrdom of Pusay^[2] (or Phusik,^[3] Pusayk, Pusices,^[4] Pusik",^[5] Posi^[6]). Other variants include Acts of Mar Pusai^[7] and the Passions of Pusay.^[8]

Narrative overview

The Sassanian Persian kings Shapur I (ruled 239-270 CE^[9]) and Shapur II (ruled 309-379^[10]) both struggled against the Roman Empire and deported prisoners of war to other areas within their own empire.^{[11] [12]} The Acts of Pusai seems to have mixed these two rulers into a single "Shapur" in producing the narrative about Pusai, who is said to have descended from Roman captives of Shapur.^[13]

According to the Acts, Pusai married a Persian woman, converted her to Christianity, and baptised their children. Pusai and his family were relocated by Shapur to the new settlement of Karka d'Ledan, near Susa. The intention of Shapur was to bring deportees from a variety of regions to the new city so that they would intermarry and therefore lose interest in returning to their homelands.^[14] The narrator records that while Shapur did this for self-interested reasons, God used this intermingling to spread Christianity. There Pusai worked as a skilled craftsman in the making of fine cloth. The king took notice of his skills, and promoted him and regularly gave him gifts.

Pusai was martyred in the year 341.^[15] Shapur began persecuting Christians, and when Pusai witnessed the martyrdom of one Christian, Pusai encouraged the man, soon to be killed, to close his eyes and think of Christ.^[16] Pusai was immediately reported to Shapur, who had him arrested. He was interrogated by Shapur, and argued against Shapur's Zurvanite religious ideas.^[17] Instead of renouncing his faith, Pusai announced that he was willing to die for it, and was killed by having his tongue torn from his mouth. His daughter Martha, who had taken a lifetime religious vow of celibacy, was taken into custody and put to death a little later.^[18]

Notes and References

1. Book: Kyle Smith. Constantine and the Captive Christians of Persia: Martyrdom and Religious Identity in Late Antiquity. 19 January 2016. University of California Press. 978-0-520-96420-4. 144.
2. Book: Richard W. Burgess. Witold Witakowski. Continuatio antiochiensis Eusebii. 1999. Franz Steiner Verlag. 978-3-515-07530-5. 257.
3. Book: General History of the Christian Religion and Church. 1855. Crocker & Brewster. 110.
4. Book: Albert Hauck. The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge: Embracing Biblical, Historical, Doctrinal, and Practical Theology and Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Biography from the Earliest Times to the Present Day. 1910. Funk and Wagnalls. 219.
5. L. Van Rompay, "Shemʿon bar Ṣabbaʿe" in Gorgias Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Syriac Heritage: Electronic Edition, edited by, Sebastian P. Brock, Aaron M. Butts, George A. Kiraz and Lucas Van Rompay, last modified 2016-09-22-16:00.
6. Book: Holy Women of the Syrian Orient. 28 August 1998. University of California Press. 978-0-520-21366-1. 64.
7. Book: Joel Walker. The Legend of Mar Qardagh: Narrative and Christian Heroism in Late Antique Iraq. 24 April 2006. University of California Press. 978-0-520-24578-5. 222.
8. Book: Eva Riad. Studies in the Syriac preface. 1988. Uppsala University. 978-91-554-2254-7. 133.
9. Encyclopedia: Shahbazi. Shapur. Shapur I. Encyclopedia Iranica. 2003. Mazda. Costa Mesa.
10. Book: Michael Burgan. Thomas G. Urban. Empires of Ancient Persia. 2009. Infobase Publishing. 978-1-4381-2784-2. 68.
11. For the deportations under Shapur I, from eastern Roman provinces, see Book: Richard Kalmin. Jewish Babylonia Between Persia and Roman Palestine. 26 October 2006. Oxford University Press, USA. 978-0-19-530619-4. 7.
12. For Shapur II's fighting with Rome, and his deportation of Armenians, see Book: Jacob Neusner. A History of the Jews in Babylonia, Part IV: The Age of Shapur II. 27 October 2008. Wipf and Stock Publishers. 978-1-60608-077-1. 15–17.
13. Book: Joel Walker. The Legend of Mar Qardagh: Narrative and Christian Heroism in Late Antique Iraq. 24 April 2006. University of California Press. 978-0-520-24578-5. 222.
14. Book: Beate Dignas. Engelbert Winter. Rome and Persia in Late Antiquity: Neighbours and Rivals. 13 September 2007. Cambridge University Press. 978-0-521-84925-8. 260.
15. Book: D. T. Potts. The Archaeology of Elam: Formation and Transformation of an Ancient Iranian State. 12 November 2015. Cambridge University Press. 978-1-316-58631-0. 682.
16. Book: Augustus Neander. Joseph Torrey. General History of the Christian Religion and Church. 1855. Crocker & Brewster. 110–111.
17. Book: Mary Boyce. Zoroastrians: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices. 2001. Psychology Press. 978-0-415-23902-8. 119–.
18. Book: Joyce E. Salisbury

    . Joyce E. Salisbury. Joyce E. Salisbury . Encyclopedia of Women in the Ancient World. 2001. ABC-CLIO. 978-1-57607-092-5. 211.